January 2026

GERIATRICS

SLEEP DISTURBANCE MAY BE RISK FACTOR FOR POORER SELF-MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC CONDITIONS

A recent Northwestern Medicine study published in Scientific Reports found that persistent sleep disturbance during the COVID-19 pandemic may be an important risk factor for inadequate chronic disease self-management and potentially poor health outcomes in adults with chronic conditions.
 
In this longitudinal study of 549 U.S. adults with sleep data collection between 2020 and 2022, scientists identified three distinct sleep disturbance trajectories using the PROMIS Sleep Disturbance T-score > 55:
  • Low disturbance (57.6%)
  • Moderate disturbance (33.9%)
  • High, worsening disturbance (8.6%)

People under 60 who were experiencing stress, poor physical function, anxiety or depression were significantly more likely to have sustained sleep issues.
Those with moderate/high disturbance showed:
  • ​Greater subjective cognitive decline
  • Worse medication adherence
  • Reduced self‑efficacy in managing their chronic diseases
Read the study

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