Worldwide, approximately 841 million people with dementia live at home and are cared for by family members. Some family members may feel guilty or lonely if they do not live in the same household as the person with dementia. But how does living together—and the resulting „round-the-clock contact“—affect the sleep quality of family caregivers?
A research group from Yonsei University College of Medicine and Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, investigated this question. The researchers analyzed data from 190,365 individuals from the Korea Community Health Survey (KCHS). The group, led by Seung Hoon Kim, published the results of their research in the journal Journal of Preventive Medicine & Public Health.
The background of the investigation is the finding that about two-thirds of informal caregivers of people with dementia suffer from sleep disorders. According to the authors, however, studies investigating sleep disorders usually focus exclusively on caregivers who live with the people with dementia. Co-residence as a factor in sleep disorders is not taken into account.
Three insights on „Sleep and Living Together“
In their study, the researchers reached three conclusions: Depending on their gender, family members of people with dementia are 28–40% times more likely to suffer from sleep disorders than family members who do not have anyone with dementia in their immediate family.
Additionally, relatives living with the person with dementia had a higher likelihood of poor (subjective) sleep quality and the use of sleeping pills than relatives not living with the person with dementia. Reinforcing factors for poor sleep quality included depressive symptoms, low income, and low education.
When considering only the group of family members who do not live with the person with dementia, it was found that sleep quality was poorest for family members when the person with dementia lived completely alone. In this case, male family members were 48% more likely, and female family members were as much as 58% more likely, to experience poorer sleep. In this case as well, depressive symptoms, low income, and low educational attainment could further worsen sleep quality. However, low educational attainment played a role only in the sleep of male family members.
Education, Income, and Guilt
Why do these factors now play a role in sleep quality? The authors offered various explanations for this. According to the scientists, a low level of education could lead to a poorer ability to react to unpredictable situations in care. To support this, they recommend the use of family caregiver education programs. Furthermore, low educational attainment and low income are closely linked. The authors explain that this appears to burden male relatives more heavily because, according to a traditional Korean understanding of gender roles, men are still seen as the financial providers. Accordingly, they bear the responsibility for the family's financial situation. The scientists explain the poor sleep quality that relatives experience when the person with dementia lives alone as a feeling of guilt and anxiety when they cannot control the care situation due to spatial separation.
Here you can find the study:
Association Between Cohabitation Status and Sleep Quality in Families of Persons With Dementia in Korea: A Cross-sectional Study (2021)
