نازنین زهرا عزیزی

Purpose: Sleep quality decreases with age, and as a result, sleep complaints are common in the elderly, especially for inactive people with Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between respiratory indices and sleep quality in active and inactive elderly women with Alzheimer's disease. Method: In this research, 24 elderly women with Alzheimer's disease (with an average age of 72.3±7.25 years, height 158.23±6.12 cm and weight 70.23±8.12 kg) voluntarily and after obtaining consent, they participated in two active (12 people) and inactive (12 people) groups. Respiratory indices were measured using a Micro Lab Spirometer. The Pittsburgh questionnaire was used to check sleep quality. Independent t-tests and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used to analyze the data. Results: The average score of sleep quality in the active group was significantly lower than the inactive group (p=0.013). Also, the parameters of expiratory volume with pressure in the first second (p=0.046), maximum voluntary ventilation (p=0.021), forced vital capacity (p=0.033), strong expiratory flow 25 to 75% in the active group was significantly higher than the inactive group. Conclusions: According to the results, it seems that sports activity can be an effective factor in improving the quality of sleep and the functioning of the respiratory system in patients with inactive Alzheimer's disease.