Association Between Digital Isolation and Sleep Disorders in Older Adults: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Study Using National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) Data.

Background: As digital technology becomes increasingly embedded in daily life, digital isolation among older adults has become more pronounced. This isolation may restrict access to health information and social support, potentially leading to poorer sleep quality. However, most existing studies on digital isolation and sleep disorders were cross-sectional, lacking longitudinal evidence to establish causality.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the association between digital isolation and sleep disorders in older adults using both cross-sectional and longitudinal designs and to assess the impact of specific components of digital isolation on the risk of sleep disorders.

Methods: We analyzed data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) collected from 2011 to 2022, including a discovery sample of 5989 older adults and a validation sample of 3443. Digital isolation was measured by the use of mobile phones, computers, email, and the internet, while sleep disorders were identified based on difficulties initiating or maintaining sleep and the use of sleep medication. Multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models were used for cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, respectively.

Results: Cross-sectional analyses revealed a higher prevalence of sleep disorders among those with high digital isolation (discovery: 1452/2166, 67.03% vs 2259/3823, 59.06%; odds ratio [OR] 1.23, 95% CI 1.09-1.39; P<.001 and validation: 673/960, 70.10% vs 1524/2483, 61.38%; OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.02-1.47; P=.03). In longitudinal analyses, high digital isolation was associated with an increased risk of sleep disorders in the discovery (hazard ratio [HR] 1.21, 95% CI 1.05-1.38; P=.006) and pooled samples (HR 1.17, 95% CI 1.05-1.31; P=.005), but the association was not statistically significant in the validation sample after adjustment (HR 1.11, 95% CI 0.91-1.36; P=.30).

Conclusions: Digital isolation is significantly associated with sleep disorders among older adults, particularly in cross-sectional analyses, while longitudinal findings provide partial support for this association. The nonsignificant result observed in the validation sample may reflect sample heterogeneity and suggests that mental health may mediate this relationship. Future interventions should address mental health to help mitigate the negative impact of digital isolation on sleep.