재가 노인의 수면 양상과 우울 및 인지기능의 관계에 대한 연구

초록

This study focuses on the sleep pattern of the elderly people living in the community and its relationship to the occurrences of the depression and deterioration of the cognitive function. Our primary data is the raw data gathered by the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare in 2008 in the National Senior Living Conditions and Well-being Needs Assessment Survey. The survey contained data from 12,087 people over 65 years of age living in the community. We have used the secondary data analysis method on this raw data to see if there exists correlation between age, gender, soundness of the sleep, total sleep time and the depression and the cognitive difficulties. Our study finds that the older a person is, the more trouble she has in sleeping. It also shows that too much sleep (in excess of 9 hours) and too little sleep (less than 6 hours) can both be linked to more occurrence of depression. Lack of restful sleep could also be linked to more frequent occurrence of depression and cognitive difficulties. Changes in the sleep pattern is not always pathological in elderly people. However, our study shows that it is important the primary health-care givers understand the role of sleep in elderly person's daily life. They should examine the elderly person's sleep pattern focusing on the quantity and the quality of sleep and develop programs suited for individuals to prevent and intervene sleep disorder.

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