Effect of Vestibular Rehabilitation on Sleep Quality and Depression in the Elderly With Chronic Dizziness: A Prospective Study

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Dizziness and the accompanying complaints, including sleep disorders and depression, are common among the elderly. This study investigated the effect of vestibular rehabilitation on complaints of dizziness, sleep problems, and the severity of depression in older people with chronic dizziness. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study included 25 participants with chronic dizziness accompanied by comorbid sleep disturbance (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index PSQI global score >5). Participants completed the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (three sub-scales: physical, emotional, and functional), the PSQI, and the Persian version of the shortened Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-13) before and after the vestibular rehabilitation. RESULTS: The findings showed that the handicap caused by dizziness, the severity of depression, and the quality of sleep in the study participants improved significantly after the intervention (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Vestibular rehabilitation is an effective intervention to reduce dizziness handicap, comorbid sleep disturbance, and depression.