JAILCD2025-003: Bedroom Environment and the Sleep Quality of Elderly Subjects in Tropical Areas: A Pilot in Iquitos, Peru

Abstract

There are significant differences in sleep health across populations worldwide, the remarkable increases in life expectancy take place in most countries in the world and will even accelerate in the upcoming years. To accomplish daily life activities, sleep is essential for the health of elderly people, however few studies have made connection between their sleep quality and their bedroom environment. Furthermore, as global warming worsens, so will our ability to get a good night’s sleep, ambient temperatures are rising worldwide and amplify the risk of insufficient sleep. This paper is a part of doctoral research on using The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to analyse the correlation between the sleep physiology and sleep environment of elderly facilities in tropical areas. This study performed field measurements in Iquitos, Peru, to identify the environmental factors (triggers) and their associations with the sleep quality of elderly subjects during summer season. The survey was performed using questionnaires (self-report) and physical measurements to investigate the sleep environment characteristics of typical room spaces in care facilities for the elderly and their impacts on the elderly’s sleep quality.