Sleep and agitation in agitated nursing home residents: an observational study.

An observational study was conducted to describe the physical and social environment of sleep of 16 highly agitated and cognitively impaired nursing home residents, and the relationships between manifestations of agitation and sleep. Results showed that nursing home residents were more likely to be observed asleep when alone, in their own rooms, and between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. Considerable amounts of sleep were also observed during the day. Great individual variation was observed in the presence of sleep-related disorders, although a tendency was observed for more fragmented sleep during the day hours. Almost all the agitated behaviors observed decreased immediately after sleep. Similar to findings of objective studies, much individual variation was found in sleep patterns and sleep pathology of cognitively impaired and highly agitated nursing home residents. Findings suggest that agitation may be exacerbated by fatigue.