Effect of Daytime Activities (Physical and Social) on Nocturnal Sleep among Residents in Elderly Homes in Lattakia, Syria

Despite of the high prevalence of sleep disturbances in nursing homes, yet there is alack of research concerning the use of non-pharmacological approaches for improvingresidents’ sleep. Objective: To assess the effect of daytime activities (physical and social) onnocturnal sleep among residents in elderly homes in Lattakia, Syria. Setting: The study wascarried out in the three available homes for elderly people in Lattakia, Syria. Subjects: Thestudy subjects comprised 40 elderly persons. They were divided randomly into two groups:study and control. Each group comprised 20 elders where elders in the control group wereleft to their routine while those in the study group were subjected to physical and socialactivities for two months. Tools: Three tools were used for data collection: thesociodemographic and clinical structure interview schedule, the environmental checklist andthe Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Results: The implemented program had a positive effect onelders’ sleep status where about one fifth had no sleep problems and about a quarter showedimprovement in their symptoms. Among the control group, the condition became worse forabout a third. Conclusion: The program succeeded in improving sleep status of elders. Thisimprovement was significantly affected by the duration of stay in the home, co-morbidities,drugs used and environmental factors. Recommendations: Encourage elders to perform dailyexercise and to maintain social entertainment through sharing in social activities.