Sleep problems are common in older people and often associated with mood disorders, such as anxiety or depression.

The present study examined the association between sleep disturbances in older adults and frequency of depressed mood and other aggravating factors.

The sample consisted of 139 subjects, aged >65 years, members of day care center for older people (KAPI) in the municipality of Tripolis, Greece. Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) was applied, to screen the elderly for depression. Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), a self-assessment psychometric instrument, was used to quantify sleep difficulty. Statistics was processed with SPSS 17.0.

56.8% of older people reported inadequate sleep, based on AIS. According to GDS-15, 53.3% of the studied population screened positive for depressive symptoms (43.2% moderate, 10.1% severe). In 79 persons who reported insomnia, 70.9% and 17.7% observed moderate and severe depression respectively, applying the GDS-15. Sleep disorders were more frequent in women (67.7% vs 48.1%, p=0.02), in not married, including divorced and widowed, (85.2% vs 44.7%, p=0.004) and in subjects without children (91.7% vs 53.2%, p=0.25). Insomnia was common in elderly with chronic diseases compared to elderly without co-morbidity (65.8% vs 9.1%, p<0.001), in participants with low monthly income (98.1% vs 1.9%, p<0.001) and in older adults suffering from depression (88.6% vs 6.7%. p<0.001).

Sleep disorders between the elderly of this study are common and strongly associated with depression. Determining the causality of the sleep disturbance could help to treat insomnia in the elderly and improve overall their health.