Meta-analysis of age and actigraphy-assessed sleep characteristics across the lifespan.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies
PubMed 33823052 · doi:10.1093/sleep/zsab088
What was done
A systematic review and meta-analysis across PubMed, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, and PsycINFO examined associations between age in years and actigraphy-assessed sleep across the lifespan. Studies with known psychiatric or medical comorbidities were excluded. Ninety-one articles (N = 23,365) were included across six meta-analyses evaluating sleep duration (k = 89), sleep efficiency (k = 58), and bedtime/waketime split by age groups (ages 6–21: bedtime k = 19, waketime k = 9; ages 22 and older: bedtime k = 7, waketime k = 7).
What was found
Older age showed small negative correlations with sleep duration (r = -0.12) and sleep efficiency (r = -0.05). For sleep timing, older age was associated with later bedtime (r = 0.37) and wake-up time (r = 0.24) among individuals aged 6–21, but with earlier bedtime (r = -0.66) and wake-up time (r = -0.59) for those aged 22 and older. The strength of associations was modified by study continent, but not by any other moderator.
Why it matters
This paper indicates that age-related sleep changes across the human lifespan are predominantly characterized by large shifts in sleep timing rather than major reductions in sleep duration or efficiency.
Limits
The abstract notes an absence of analyzable data for individuals aged 30–60 years. The literature for adult sleep timing was limited (k = 7 for both bedtime and waketime), and all studies excluded individuals with medical or psychiatric comorbidities.
Cited by
- supports Sleep duration typically declines as humans age.