Abstract
•After discharge from intensive care, more than 50% of sleep/rest occurred during daytime hours.•Lower daytime activity was associated with worse grip strength and dexterity.•Greater daytime sleep/rest was associated with worse grip strength and dexterity.•Prolonged inactivity/rest may identify older ICU survivors at risk for poor motor function.
Hospitalized older intensive care unit (ICU) survivors are often inactive and experience sleep disturbances.
We explored associations between post-ICU activity, sleep/rest, and motor function among hospitalized older ICU survivors.
We enrolled 30 older ICU survivors, ages 65 and older, within 24–48 h of ICU discharge. Actigraphy measured post-ICU activity and sleep/rest. Selected measures from the National Institutes of Health Toolbox Motor Battery assessed grip strength and dexterity. Multivariate regression examined associations between post-ICU activity, sleep/rest, and motor function, adjusting for covariates.
Lower daytime activity (β = 0.258, p = .035) and greater daytime sleep/rest (β = −0.295, p = .022) were associated with worse grip strength. Lower daytime activity (β = −0.376, p = .037) and greater daytime sleep/rest (β = 0.409, p = .026) were associated with worse dexterity.
Post-ICU inactivity and prolonged rest periods are associated with worse motor function in hospitalized older ICU survivors.
