Evaluating the Relationship between Sleep Quality and Temperament in Older Adults: Data from TOPS (Tabriz Older People Survey)

The quality of sleep changes with age and a reduction in sleep duration is observed in the elderly. Mizaj (temperament) is a fundamental theory in traditional Persian medicine. It is defined as all sides of personality describing a person’s morphological, psychological, and physiological situations. Although the evidence showed that temperament and sleep quality are related, no research has evaluated this issue statistically so far. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the correlation between sleep quality and temperament. This cross-sectional study included 1,359 elderly people (aged 60) in Tabriz, Iran in 2019. An interviewer accomplished the Tabriz Older People Survey (TOPS), Temperament and Sleep Quality Test, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). A p value less than 0.05 was considered as significant. Our findings indicated that there was a significant relationship between global PSQI and wet temperament (p value = 0.036). In addition, hot-cold temperament was statistically related to demographical items like gender, marital status, and occupational status (p value ≤ 0.05). A similar statistically significant relationship was also seen for wet-dry temperament (p value ≤ 0.05). Moreover, the global PSQI score in female and illiterates subjects and those who lived in detached houses was high, meaning that the sleep quality was poor in these groups. According to our findings, Mizaj affects the quality of sleep in older adults. Also, living conditions of the elderly, such as gender, type of residence, level of education, and job, affect the Mizaj of the elderly people.