Research

Mixed

In older adults (50+) in low-income settings, severe sleep problems are strongly and independently correlated with greater physical disability and feelings of depression/anxiety, rather than just socioeconomic status.

If you are over 50 and struggling with sleep, do not assume it is just due to being poor or old. The strongest predictors of severe sleep problems are physical disability and mental health struggles like depression or anxiety. Addressing these underlying health issues may be more effective than focusing solely on environmental factors or wealth.

GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
limited physical functionality or greater disability and feelings of depression and anxiety were consistently strong, independent correlates of sleep problems, in both women and men, across the 8 sites (P < 0.001).
Saverio Stranges et al. · SLEEP · 2012

Why this rating

Large sample size (n=43,935), multi-center, rigorous multivariate adjustment, but cross-sectional design limits causal inference.

Source

Sleep Problems: An Emerging Global Epidemic? Findings From the INDEPTH WHO-SAGE Study Among More Than 40,000 Older Adults From 8 Countries Across Africa and Asia

Saverio Stranges et al. · SLEEP · 2012

DOI 10.5665/sleep.2012

cross_sectional · n=43935Cited 583×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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