Effect of caregiving status on the sleep of older New Zealanders.

AIMS: To investigate relationships between caregiving and subjective sleep reports among older New Zealanders.

METHODS

Participants were 434 carers (177 home-based) and 1747 non-carers (aged 55-72 years) who completed the 2008 Health Work and Retirement survey. Sleep outcomes (feeling worn out, tired, or dissatisfied with sleep or having a diagnosed sleep disorder) were explored by caregiving status. Logistic regression was used to investigate caregiving as an independent predictor of poor sleep health after controlling for other demographic variables.

RESULTS

Home-based carers were more likely to report feeling tired some/all of the time than non-carers (odds ratio 1.6, 95% confidence interval 1.1-2.2). Being Māori, a woman, younger or more socioeconomically deprived (New Zealand Deprivation Index 2006) were also significant independent predictors of poor sleep outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Carers are at increased risk of feeling tired in the daytime. Early recognition and management of underlying sleep problems are particularly important for older people providing care at home.