How Adult Caregiving Impacts Sleep: a Systematic Review

Abstract

Sleep disturbance can contribute to negative health outcomes. However, sleep complaints have been underrecognized and undertreated in caregivers of ill family members. This systematic review describes the impact of family caregiving on sleep and summarizes factors associated with sleep disturbance in caregivers. A literature search using PubMed, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and CINAHL databases yielded 22 relevant research articles on family caregivers of ill adults. Analyses revealed that up to 76 % of caregivers reported poor sleep quality, and the proportion is considerably higher for female caregivers compared to male caregivers. Sleep measures indicated short sleep duration and frequent night awakenings. Characteristics of the care recipient, such as health status, and the caregiver's own health status and symptoms, such as depression, fatigue, and anxiety, were associated with sleep disturbance in caregivers. These factors may help clinicians identify caregivers at highest risk for developing sleep disturbance and guide the family toward additional support.

A Mediterranean Dietary Pattern Predicts Better Sleep Quality in US Women from the American Heart Association Go Red for Women Strategically Focused Research Network

“…An essential next step will be to evaluate associations of the Mediterranean diet as a predictor of sleep quality in a larger sample with sufficient power for pertinent subgroup analyses, so that potential moderating roles of race/ethnicity as well as menopausal and caregiving status can be evaluated. This is important given evidence that racial/ethnic minorities, post-menopausal women, and individuals with caregiving responsibilities are at increased risk for poor sleep [33,47,48]. Similarly, there is a need to evaluate potential sex differences in the relation between a Mediterranean diet and sleep.…”

Dyadic effects of distress on sleep duration in advanced cancer patients and spouse caregivers

“…It is estimated that over 95% of advanced cancer caregivers experience sleep disturbance . Poor sleep may contribute to difficulties actually executing daily caregiving tasks and to increased caregiver burden . It has also been linked to anxiety, depression, and worse physical health in caregivers, as well as interference with the grieving process and difficulty returning to pre‐caregiving responsibilities after the patient's death …”

Shift work, work time control, and informal caregiving as risk factors for sleep disturbances in an ageing municipal workforce

“…Shift work can disrupt the normal sleep-wake cycle and may increase the risk of health problems due to sleep deprivation, impaired sleep and fatigue (9,10). Furthermore, the prevalence of informal caregiving increases with age and research has shown associations of informal caregiving with sickness absence (11) and cardiovascular diseases (12), which may be partially mediated through high levels of stress and sleep disturbances (13)(14)(15)(16). However, the studies on the association between informal caregiving and sleep have rarely focused on participants in employment and their working conditions (16,17) although, eg, in the Europe and US, more than 50% of caregivers are employed (18,19).…”

“…Furthermore, the prevalence of informal caregiving increases with age and research has shown associations of informal caregiving with sickness absence (11) and cardiovascular diseases (12), which may be partially mediated through high levels of stress and sleep disturbances (13)(14)(15)(16). However, the studies on the association between informal caregiving and sleep have rarely focused on participants in employment and their working conditions (16,17) although, eg, in the Europe and US, more than 50% of caregivers are employed (18,19). The few longitudinal studies on the association between informal caregiving and sleep disturbances among employees have produced inconsistent findings (20,21).…”