The association between loneliness and sleep quality among older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

To systematically review studies and explore the association between loneliness and sleep quality among older adults.A comprehensive literature search was conducted in 8 databases from their inception to February 28, 2022. Studies that investigated the association between loneliness and sleep quality among older people were obtained. Comprehensive Meta-analysis was used to meta-analyze data in the included studies.In total, 16 studies with 23,485 participants were included in this review, and 6 of these studies were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis showed that older adults who were lonely were significantly more likely to suffer from low sleep quality than their counterparts without loneliness (pooled OR = 1.750, 95% CI: 1.511-2.026, p < 0.01).Loneliness is associated with poor sleep quality among older adults. Loneliness reduction measures should be considered as one of the essential elements in sleep management programs for older people with low sleep quality.