Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore whether associations between self-reported sleep duration, depressive symptoms, anxiety, fatigue and daytime sleepiness differed in older community-dwelling men and women. Design: Cross-sectional.

Methods: A community-dwelling sample of 675 older men and women (mean age 77.7 years, SD 3.8 years) was used. All participants underwent a clinical examination by a cardiologist. Validated questionnaires were used to investigate sleep duration, depressive symptoms, anxiety, fatigue and daytime sleepiness. Subjects were divided into short sleepers (≤6 hours), n = 231; normal sleepers (7-8 hours), n = 338; and long sleepers (≥9 hours), n = 61. ancovas were used to explore sex-specific effects.

Results: Depressive symptoms were associated with short sleep in men, but not in women. Fatigue was associated with both short and long sleep duration in men. No sex-specific associations of sleep duration with daytime sleepiness or anxiety were found.

Conclusion: Nurses investigating sleep duration and its correlates, or effects, in clinical practice need to take sex into account, as some associations may be sex specific. Depressive symptoms and fatigue can be used as indicators to identify older men with sleep complaints.