POOR SLEEPERS WHO DO NOT COMPLAIN OF INSOMNIA - MYTHS AND REALITIES ABOUT PSYCHOLOGICAL AND LIFE-STYLE CHARACTERISTICS OF OLDER GOOD AND POOR SLEEPERS

Psychological adjustment, lifestyle, and sleep parameters were investi gated in 634 older community residents. Participants were divided into three categories: good sleepers, poor sleepers experiencing high dist ress, and poor sleepers experiencing minimal distress. Results indicat e that (1) highly distressed poor sleepers manifested an anxious, depr essed, negative cognitive-affective set; (2) many coped well with age related changes in sleep quality - they resembled good sleepers in the relative absence of psychological maladjustment they displayed; (3) t he three groups had similar lifestyles, but they differed in the cogni tive-affective evaluation of their activities, (4) the insomnia compla int is itself multifaceted and is comprised of three distinct elements - difficulty sleeping, distress, and daytime fatigue; (5) sleep pract ices (e.g., naps, bedtimes) are not implicated in chronic poor sleep; and (6) many commonly held assumptions about sleep disruptions in olde r individuals are myth rather than reality. Implications for better un derstanding and treating insomnia in older individuals are discussed.