Sleep Disturbance in Family Caregivers of Individuals With Dementia: A Review of the Literature

Purpose This paper will review published evidence regarding health outcomes and factors associated with caregivers' sleep disturbance. Design and Methods Searches were conducted on CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed, and PsycINFO using various keywords. Findings We evaluated 138 abstracts and reviewed 18 articles. Depression is the most reported factor influencing caregivers' sleep. Additional factors are caregivers' psychological distress, demographic, and care recipients' characteristics. Health outcomes of sleep disturbance include poor mental and physical health, reduced quality of life, and elevated coagulation and inflammation levels. Practice Implications Clinicians should screen caregivers' sleep quality so they can assist them with suggestions on maintaining their health while performing caregiving tasks.