Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31633188›Full record

SynthesisSleep2020

Measuring the prevalence of sleep disturbances in people with dementia living in care homes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Lucy Webster, Sergi Costafreda Gonzalez, Aisling Stringer, Amy Lineham, Jessica Budgett, Simon Kyle, Julie Barber, Gill Livingston

Open access · hybridAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Sleep, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 36 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
36citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
6.1field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

36 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 72 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. The DREAMS START intervention for sleep in dementia: Long-term follow-up of a randomized controlled trial.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026
    Trial
  4. Trial
  5. Trial
  6. Trial
  7. Observational
  8. A gradual and sustainable approach to diagnosing sleep and circadian disturbances in dementia.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026
    Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Observational
  16. Slow wave synchrony during NREM sleep tracks cognitive impairment in prodromal Alzheimer's disease.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2025
    Article
  17. Sleep efficiency in community-dwelling persons living with dementia: exploratory analysis using machine learning.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2025
    Observational
  18. Review
  19. Review
  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Lucy WebsterDivision of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Sergi Costafreda GonzalezDivision of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Aisling StringerDivision of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Amy LinehamUniversity College London Medical School, London, UK.
Jessica BudgettDivision of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Simon KyleSleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Julie BarberDepartment of Statistical Science, University College London, London, UK.
Gill LivingstonDivision of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
University College London · GBUniversity of Oxford · GB

Funding

Department of Health 14/220/06
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

STUDY

objectivesSleep disturbances are a feature in people living with dementia, including getting up during the night, difficulty falling asleep, and excessive daytime sleepiness and may precipitate a person with dementia moving into residential care. There are varying estimates of the frequency of sleep disturbances, and it is unknown whether they are a problem for the individual. We conducted the first systematic review and meta-analysis on the prevalence and associated factors of sleep disturbances in the care home population with dementia.

methodsWe searched Embase, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO (29/04/2019) for studies of the prevalence or associated factors of sleep disturbances in people with dementia living in care homes. We computed meta-analytical estimates of the prevalence of sleep disturbances and used meta-regression to investigate the effects of measurement methods, demographics, and study characteristics.

resultsWe included 55 studies of 22,780 participants. The pooled prevalence on validated questionnaires of clinically significant sleep disturbances was 20% (95% confidence interval, CI 16% to 24%) and of any symptom of sleep disturbance was 38% (95% CI 33% to 44%). On actigraphy using a cutoff sleep efficiency of <85% prevalence was 70% (95% CI 55% to 85%). Staff distress, resident agitation, and prescription of psychotropic medications were associated with sleep disturbances. Studies with a higher percentage of males had a higher prevalence of sleep disturbance.

conclusionsClinically significant sleep disturbances are less common than those measured on actigraphy and are associated with residents and staff distress and the increased prescription of psychotropics. Actigraphy appears to offer no benefit over proxy reports in this population.

Indexed as

DementiaSleep Initiation and Maintenance DisordersSleep Wake DisordersHumansMalePrevalenceSleepactigraphyaging; insomniadementia

Identifiers

PMID31633188
PMCPMC7157185
OpenAlexW2981610011

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.