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Review
. 2018 Mar;13(1):1-11.
doi: 10.1016/j.jsmc.2017.09.001. Epub 2017 Nov 21.

Sleep in Normal Aging

Junxin Li  1 , Michael V Vitiello  2 , Nalaka S Gooneratne  3
Affiliations
Review

Sleep in Normal Aging

Junxin Li et al. Sleep Med Clin. 2018 Mar.

Abstract

Sleep patterns change with aging, independent of other factors, and include advanced sleep timing, shortened nocturnal sleep duration, increased frequency of daytime naps, increased number of nocturnal awakenings and time spent awake during the night, and decreased slow wave sleep. Most of these changes seem to occur between young and middle adulthood; sleep parameters remain largely unchanged among healthy older adults. The circadian system and sleep homeostatic mechanisms become less robust with normal aging. The amount and pattern of sleep-related hormone secretion change as well. The causes of sleep disturbances in older adults are multifactorial.

Keywords: Circadian rhythm; Hormone; Normal aging; Sleep architecture; Sleep homeostasis.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Age related changes in sleep architecture
Abbreviations: REM, rapid eye movement; SWS, slow wave sleep; WASO, wake after sleep onset From Ohayon MM, Carskadon MA, Guilleminault C, Vitiello MV. Meta-analysis of quantitative sleep parameters from childhood to old age in healthy individuals: developing normative sleep values across the human lifespan. Sleep. 2004;27(7) :1255–1273.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Circadian phase in older adults
Solid line represents older adults’ body temperature and plasma melatonin circadian profile. Dashed line represents you ng adults’ body temperature and plasma melatonin circadian profile The bar across the top of panel A represents the clock time; The horizontal black bar denotes sleep/dark period; the horizontal white bar denotes wake/light period. Panel A: when compared with clock time, the phase of both core body temperature and plasma melatonin is earlier in older adults (solid line) than it is in young adults (dashed line). Panel B: when compared with their usual sleep-wake and dark-light timing (the phase of both core body temperature and plasma melatonin is later with respect to sleep/darkness in older adults (solid line) than it is in young adults (dashed line). From Duffy JF, Zitting K–M, Chinoy ED. Aging and circadian rhythms. Sleep medicine clinics. 2015; 10(4) :423–434.
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