An activity monitor study on the sleep-wake rhythm of healthy aged people residing in their homes.

The aim of this preliminary study was to investigate sleep-wake rhythm in active, healthy elderly people residing in their usual habitat. The subjects were thirty-five male volunteers within an age range of 65-95 for 3-4 days. We measured the sleep-wake rhythm of the subjects with an Actillume which is a combined wrist activity monitor and illumination recorder. Analysis of the Actillume recording showed that 24 of the 35 subjects (69%) kept continuous activity indicating good maintenance of wakefulness with high light exposure. The mean mesor of sleep-wake rhythm, however, significantly decreased in the older subjects (aged 80-95; n=15).