Association between Social and Physical Activities and Insomnia Symptoms among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Objective: To examine the association between organized social activity, walking exercise, and insomnia symptoms. Material and Method: Data for analysis are derived from the National Health Aging Trends Study (NHATS). At baseline, demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, health-related behaviors, sleep-related problems, and health status were assessed using questionnaires. Results: Data for 7,162 community-dwelling older adults were available for analysis. Difficulty falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, and both insomnia symptoms were reported by 12%, 5%, and 11% of the participants, respectively. The proportion of participants who reported engaging in organized social activity, walking exercise, and both activities were 11%, 35%, and 26%, respectively. Participants who reported engaging in organized social activity and/or walking exercise were significantly less likely to report insomnia symptoms. Conclusion: These results have important implications for future studies that plan to implement nonpharmacological interventions for management of insomnia among older adults.