| Popis: |
Introduction: Given the recent constraints imposed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of the daily light-dark cycle for entraining the human circadian system, it is possible to state that the elderly are likely to be at serious risk of experiencing sleep-related problems. Whilst reduced or limited time outdoors, and thus, exposure to diurnal bright light appear to be detrimental to sleep and emotional well-being in old age, further research is required to confirm this relationship. Materials and Method: To build on earlier work, a two-week study was conducted in a sample of 79 community-dwelling older adults recruited by using snowball sampling method. Throughout the study, the participants were allowed to be outdoors from 10.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. on weekdays. Whilst the participants were performing their daily habitual activities, they were asked to keep an activity diary and report on their sleep quality and emotional wellbeing using two questionnaires. Results: The results demonstrated that participants’ daily time spent outdoors (49.13 minutes on average) positively correlated with their perceived sleep quality and emotional well-being at various –– but significant –– levels (p |
