Fung CH, et al. - This study was carried out to assess the relationships between frequency of nocturia and self-reported sleep quality and objective sleep measures in older women. Authors, in addition, estimated the amount of variation in sleep measures that were specifically attributable to frequency of nocturia. They identified a common occurrence of nocturia among octogenarian and nonagenarian women and this was independently associated with poor sleep quality and longer wake time at night. It seems that interventions improving nocturia could be useful in improving sleep quality and wake time at night.

Methods

• Authors performed a secondary, cross sectional analysis of the multicenter prospective cohort Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF).
• Community-dwelling women aged ≥80 years were included.
• They assessed frequency of nocturia in the previous 12 months, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index sleep quality subscale, and actigraphy-measured wake after sleep onset (WASO) and total sleep time (TST).

Results

• This study included 1,520 participants; 25% (n = 392) reported their nocturia frequency was 3–4 times/night and an additional 60% (n = 917) reported their nocturia frequency was 1–2 times/night.
• There appeared an association of more frequent nocturia with poor sleep quality (3–4/night: 26.8% reported fairly bad or very bad sleep quality; 1–2/night: 14.7%; 0/night: 7.7%; P < .001) and longer WASO (3–4/night: 89.8 minutes; 1–2/night: 70.6; 0/night: 55.5; P < .001).
• Nested regression models indicated that a nocturia frequency of 3–4/night quadrupled the odds of poor sleep quality (odds ratio: 4.26 [95% CI 1.65, 11.01]; P = .003) and was associated with a 37-minute worsening in WASO (95% CI 26.0, 49.0; P < .001).
• Frequency of nocturia explained an additional 6% variation in WASO, above and beyond demographic, medical/psychiatric conditions, and medication factors (ΔR² = 0.06).