Sleep aging symptoms information and
|
|
Sleep aid tips about sleep aging symptoms for information and remedies for your better sleep which may also cure any mild sleep disorder you may want sleep aging symptoms remedies for. Never before in the young history of America have so many people lived to be so old. The elderly are, in fact, the fastest growing segment of the American population today.
Though the older among us are living longer, healthier, and more productive lives than ever before, there are many changes that often accompany aging. Chronic illness becomes more common, the body itself grows frailer, and worries or concerns about the future often grow more acute with age as well. All these factors associated with growing older can result in ever-elusive nights of good sleep. Below, sleep expert Dr. Eric A. Nofzinger of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine talks about why this may be true, and steps that older people can take to secure their nighttime rest. Do older people need less sleep? It's not entirely clear if we actually need less sleep as we age. We do know that there are a lot of changes in the sleep-wake cycle as we age. As we age, we tend to lose the ability to sleep as deeply at nighttime, so there's a natural degradation of the sleep-wake process as we get older. Is there an explanation of what happens in the brain as we age that causes sleep to worsen? I think that there are probably some structural changes that are going on in the brain as we age, and some underlying chemical changes as well. Just as the body changes with age, so too does the brain. Unfortunately, we tend to lose certain aspects of brain function with age. The parts of brain function that we lose are areas of the cortex, and the cortex is responsible for generating sleep at nighttime. When we lose some of that cortical function, we're just not able to generate the same degree of sleep as we were when we were younger. And these changes start earlier than you may think, when we're in our early 30s and 40s.
How prevalent are sleep problems among aging populations? One of the biggest problems we see in sleep disorders medicine is sleep issues in older people. In part it's the result of the changes in brain function, but it's also a result of the stresses and difficulties inherent in later life.
What is the most common complaint? Generally, older people complain of waking up in the middle of the night and having only fragmented sleep after that. They tend not to have too much difficulty falling asleep, but after a few hours of sleep, their brains say, "I'm done," then they start waking up and having fragmented sleep throughout the nighttime. They tend to wake up very early in the morning, four or five o'clock or so, not being able to return to sleep. And without that restorative sleep at nighttime, they tend to take catnaps throughout the daytime, falling asleep periodically. They feel a little more sleepy at certain times during the daytime. Are naps not advisable? There is some question about this still. We generally recommend that aging people try not to nap during the daytime because it decreases the amount of sleep they will be able to get at night. Are there any other contributing factors to poor sleep later in life? Any type of major brain change—structural problems or dementia—can severely fragment sleep at night. Parkinson's disease, for instance, causes a very specific change in how our brains work at nighttime, and people with Parkinson's disease sometimes experience a 50% reduction in their ability to sleep. It's not uncommon for people with Parkinson's to get only two or three hours of sleep at night.
Also, most of the mental disorders that can affect younger people also affect late-life individuals, but older people may be more vulnerable to them. Depression is a major problem that we see. Grief and bereavement, major stressors of late life, going into retirement and suddenly having a lot of time on your hands, not being as active during the daytime—all these factors can lead to difficulties and anxiety disorders, which can lead to sleep problems. What are some lifestyle changes that can help older people improve sleep? I think it's important to establish a regular pattern of getting ready to go to bed, and learn to avoid anything that will activate or arouse a person right before bed. Obviously, drinking a cup of coffee before bed is not a good idea. Having a cigarette or a drink is not a good idea, because these drugs can interfere with sleep as well. Even exercising late into the evening is not good, because it can be stimulating and arousing. Thinking about complex problems or emotional problems, or trying to deal with legal issues right before going to bed—all of these types of thoughts are best avoided before bedtime because they can be activating or arousing and make it very difficult to sleep soundly. It's best to try and relax in the evening for an hour or two before bed, without heavy thoughts, without alcohol or stimulating activities. Eating a light snack roughly an hour before bedtime might actually promote good sleep. Additionally, it's sometimes wise to delay bedtime in order to consolidate the sleep hours at night. Instead of going to bed at seven or eight o'clock, delay that time by a half hour or hour. And try not to stay in bed during the times you are not sleeping. Can older people take sleeping pills? Sleeping medications are effective but some have a number of side effects. They can cause problems with concentration, memory or sedation that may carry over into the daytime. This can happen because the medication remains in the body for long periods of time or they have active byproducts (which are produced during the normal drug breakdown in the body) that can lead to these types of problems. The other problem in the elderly is sometimes they experience rebounding insomnia or withdrawal problems. Over the past ten years or so there have been some newer prescription sleeping medications that tend to have fewer side effects and fewer addictive or dependence problems. And I think since the elderly are vulnerable to so many problems, we have to try to treat them with medications that may be milder, that may have fewer side effects, that are shorter acting, and that are a little bit easier to control. Some of the newer, non-benzodiazepine type hypnotics tend to be a little bit better tolerated in the elderly. When do you think people should see a doctor about a sleep problem? If someone feels as if sleep problems are impairing their ability to function, impairing their relationship with other people, or not enabling them to get productive work done during the day, these are all signs that they could seek professional help, and there is help available. I think there's a tendency for people to wait too long before seeing a doctor about sleep-wake problems. But there's a lot of information about these problems, and physicians are increasingly effective at treating them. There is more help available out there than the average person realizes, and so maybe a lower threshold for seeking help would be a good idea
(Go to our Navbar for “common sleep disorders” and at near the bottom of the page, go to the “LIFE CYCLES – sleep requirements through our various ages” for even more detailed section on aging and its effects on your sleep cycles.)
Although older people are sometimes reluctant to divulge it, many of them experience anxiety. And when an older person is diagnosed with this condition, the best way to treat them is not always clear. A study published in July 26th issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine found that a popular class of medications called benzodiazepines—which is commonly prescribed for anxiety and other conditions such as insomnia—increased risk of hip fractures, and that the risk was highest in the first two weeks of taking the drug. Benzodiazepines, which include drugs such as Valium (diazepam) and Xanax (alprazolam), can lead to falls because they cause drowsiness and can affect balance. Hip fractures are of particular concern to doctors and patients because they are known to profoundly affect quality of life. Only one-third of people who break their hip recover to their pre-fracture level of independence, and about 24 percent of people over age 50 die within a year. Previously, some studies suggested that benzodiazepines contribute to an increased risk of hip fractures, while others did not uncover such as link. And still other studies demonstrated an increased risk only with the longer acting benzodiazepines, which are more slowly released in the body. "Because elderly people's aged systems excrete drugs more slowly, the drugs can accumulate in elderly people, so longer acting drugs have been particularly discouraged," says study author Anita K. Wagner, PharmD, MPH, DPH, an instructor in the department of ambulatory care and prevention at Harvard Medical School. In the current study, Dr. Wagner and her colleagues analyzed 42 months of health insurance claims for more than 125,000 people enrolled in the New Jersey Medicaid program and categorized people as to whether they were taking a long- or short-acting drug. After taking into consideration other possible causes of a hip fracture, such as diagnoses of epilepsy and dementia and exposure to other psychoactive medications, the researchers concluded that both types of benzodiazepines increased risk of hip fractures. While there was no difference between benzodiazepine types, the researchers uncovered some difference in risk based on the length of time someone had been taking the drug. Risk was highest in the first week, then diminished in the second 14 days and was further reduced after a month. "The reduced risk later on is most likely related to the fact that people get used to the sedative side effects and the impact on balance," Dr. Wagner explains. To try to prevent falls, the study authors recommend that the older person be looked after more carefully during the first couple of weeks on a benzodiazepine. "When patients and doctors evaluate the risks and benefits of benzodiazepines, they should be particularly alert to increased sedation and the potential risk of fracture during the time when someone is starting a benzodiazepine, nor should they assume a shorting acting drug is safer," Dr. Wagner says
|
Sleep aid tips web directory is the best way to find information about sleep disorder remedies and sleep aging symptoms information. This web page takes the legwork out of finding great sleep aging symptoms information resources. We have compiled great links to sleep aging symptoms information and sleep aid remedy information and pages dedicated to sleep aging symptoms information here. . . On this directory page you will find links to various sleep aging symptoms information and sleep aid remedy related pages. There you will find great information about sleep aging symptoms information.
sleep aging symptoms information site links sleep aid
|
Additional sleep aging symptoms Links | ||
|
sleep innovation |
cause of snoring |
baby sleep |
