Abstract 17131: Association of Objectively Measured Sleep With 6-minute Walk Distance in Older Adults
Swaty Chapagai, Katharine Harrington, Shaina Alexandria, Thanh-Huyen T Vu, Sadiya S Khan, Mercedes R Carnethon, Kristen Knutson- Physiology (medical)
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
Background: Decline in physical function in older adults is associated with higher risk of cardiovascular diseases. While disturbances in sleep may contribute to declines in physical function with aging, prior research is limited by the use of subjective sleep measures.
Hypothesis: Older adults with sleep disturbance will have impaired functional capacity measured via 6-minute walk test. Aim: This study aimed to examine the association between objectively measured sleep parameters and 6-minute walk distance (6MWD), a marker of functional capacity, in a diverse sample of older adults aged ≥55 years.
Methods: This analysis included 96 participants who were enrolled in the Disparities in Sleep and Cognitive Outcomes (DISCO) study, a prospective cohort study of older adults with objective measurement of sleep and functional capacity. Sleep duration (minutes), efficiency (%), and fragmentation (%) were measured using 7 days-wrist actigraphy. Sleep stages including non-REM stage 3 (N3) duration (minutes) and REM duration (minutes) were measured using an overnight home sleep monitor. Total distance (meters) completed in 6-minutes was the primary outcome. Covariates included age, sex, race, ethnicity, body mass index, smoking status, and pain/ inflammation. Linear regression models were used for analysis.
Results: Mean age of participants was 69.1 ± 5.4 years (range 56-82 years), 69.8% were women, 72% were White and 97% were Non-Hispanic/Latino. The average 6MWD was 495.6 ± 87 meters. Sleep duration, N3 duration, and REM duration were not statistically associated with total distance walked. In the fully adjusted models, higher sleep efficiency was associated with higher total 6MWD (p<0.001), and greater sleep fragmentation was associated with lower total 6MWD (p=0.016) (see Table 1).
Conclusions: Less favorable sleep quality, as indicated by lower sleep efficiency and more fragmented sleep, was associated with poorer functional capacity in older adults.