Investigation to the prevalence of sleep disorders and its effect on the rehabilitation-outcome during a neurological and geriatric rehabiliation : a prospective study

Abstract

Sleep disorders, especially Insomnia, sleep apnea syndrome and sleep related movement disorders are relevant in the elderly and are often correlated to somatic and psychiatric disorders (Happe 2011). Aim of this prospective study was Primary to investigate the effect of restful/ restless sleep to the rehabilitation-outcome during a geriatric or neurological rehabilitation and secondary to identify other parameters having an effect on the rehabilitation-outcome. Overall 678 geriatric subjects and geriatric subjects with a neurological principal diagnosis participated successfully. Subjects were interviewed 1-3 days (visit 1) and 3 weeks (visit 2) after entering the rehabilitation clinic to sleep disorders, sleep quality as well as to physical and psychic conditions by using several questionnaires. Additionally objective parameters from the medical report were used. Results reveal that sleep quality (questionnaire: PSQI) does not have an effect on the rehabilitation-outcome of geriatric subjects directly. But this study featured other parameters like daytime sleepiness (EES) as well as mental and psychical parameters (age, sub items of the IADL and SF-36) do have an significant effect. Interpretation of these results could be that other parameters like age, daytime sleepiness as well as mental and physical conditions have more effect on the rehabilitation-outcome than sleep quality itself. But the fact that these parameters are linked to sleep quality can be a hint that sleep quality can have a more indirect effect on the rehabilitation-outcome