Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015 Mar;99(2):431-9.
doi: 10.1016/j.mcna.2014.11.013. Epub 2014 Dec 30.

Sleep problems in the elderly

Affiliations
Review

Sleep problems in the elderly

Juan Carlos Rodriguez et al. Med Clin North Am. 2015 Mar.

Abstract

Epidemiologic studies have shown that approximately 50% of older adults have sleep problems, many of which carry deleterious consequences that affect physical and mental health and also social functioning. However, sleep problems in late life are often unrecognized, and are inadequately treated in clinical practice. This article focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of the 2 most common sleep problems in older patients: sleep apnea and insomnia.

Keywords: Diagnosis and treatment; Insomnia; Older adults; Sleep apnea; Sleep problems.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The 3 P conceptual model of insomnia. Predisposing factors: physical and mental health, family history of insomnia, poverty, and so forth. Precipitating factors: depressive episode, hospitalization, loss of a loved one, moving, and so forth. Perpetuating factors: spending too much time in bed, not following a regular sleep schedule, and so forth. CBTi, Cognitive behavior treatment of insomnia.

References

    1. Foley DJ, Monjan AA, Brown SL, et al. Sleep complaints among elderly persons - an epidemiological study of 3 communities. Sleep. 1995;18:425–432. - PubMed
    1. Mellinger GD, Balter MB, Uhlenhuth EH. Insomnia and its treatment: prevalence and correlates. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1985;42:225–232. - PubMed
    1. Morgan K. Sleep and aging. In: Lichstein K, Morin C, editors. Treatment of late-life insomnia. Thousand Oaks (CA): Sage Publications; 2000. pp. 3–36.
    1. Floyd JA, Medler SM, Ager JW, et al. Age-related changes in initiation and maintenance of sleep: A meta-analysis. Res Nurs Health. 2000;23:106–117. - PubMed
    1. Chung F, Yegneswaran B, Liao P, et al. STOP Questionnaire: a tool to screen for obstructive sleep apnea. Anesthesiology. 2008;108:812–821. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms