Daily Sleep Patterns Observed Among Institutionalized Elderly Residents

The sleep/wake patterns of 16 institutionalized demented women were visually monitored hourly for 14 consecutive days. Individual mean total sleep time varied markedly from 5.0 to 12.1 hours per 24 hours. Unexpectedly, amounts of day sleep and night sleep correlated positively, suggesting a general sleep tendency manifested throughout the 24‐hour day. Consistent individual sleep patterns and high inter‐day correlations were found. A high degree of individuality in the sleep/wake patterns was also found, contrary to expectations that elderly obtain less sleep than others. Night sleep in the institutionalized elderly was not lessened by daytime sleep. Visual monitoring of sleep/wake patterns generated reliable data.

对16名住在养老院的痴呆女性的睡眠/觉醒模式连续14天每小时进行目视监测。每个人平均总睡眠时间在每24小时5.0到12.1小时之间差异显著。出乎意料的是，日间睡眠量和夜间睡眠量呈正相关，这表明在一整天24小时内都表现出一种普遍的睡眠倾向。发现个体睡眠模式具有一致性，且日间相关性较高。还发现睡眠/觉醒模式具有高度的个体性，这与老年人比其他人睡眠少的预期相反。住在养老院的老年人的夜间睡眠并没有因为日间睡眠而减少。对睡眠/觉醒模式的目视监测产生了可靠的数据。