Relationship between chronic diseases and sleep duration among older adults in Ghana

Aging increases the prevalence of health problems that are often chronic, resulting in more sleep problems for people with poor health or chronic conditions. Relatively fewer studies have been conducted on the relationship between sleep duration and chronic conditions in Sub-Saharan Africa compared to Western or Asian populations. This study uses a nationally representative sample of older adults in Ghana to examine the association between sleep duration and chronic conditions.

Women had a significantly longer period of sleep than men. Older people (> 60 years) were more likely than people under 60 years old to sleep for longer periods. The prevalence of stroke, depression, and chronic lung disease among long sleepers was high compared with short and medium sleepers. Our study found that respondents with stroke, arthritis, depression, chronic lung disease, asthma, and hypertension were likely to sleep for a long time.

This study showed a significant association between long hours of sleep and chronic conditions. To health professionals, paying particular attention to this association among older adults is medically important.