Sleep Deficiency in the Elderly
Sleep is one of the basic necessities of living. Various studies have shown that adequate sleep is important for optimal productivity and output. The definition of adequate sleep is generally accepted as seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep for adults, and even greater time for children (Rajput & Bromley, 1999). With normal physiological changes occurring due to the ageing process, many people above 65 have six to six and a half hours of sleep (Feinberg, Koresko, & Heller, 1967). In the older population, sleep is shown to be important in health and in allaying deterioration (Lim et al., 2013), helping in memory retention, recall and consolidation (Mazzoni, 1991). More than 50% of the elderly however have …show more content…
Despite affecting a quarter of the senior citizen population, only 33% of this number discuss their symptoms with their medical provider (Epstein & Bootzin, 2012). With insomnia, there is difficulty initiating as well as maintaining sleep, and is regarded as primary when there is no relation to a pathology, and secondary when it is as a result of an underlying illness or medication (Epstein & Bootzin, 2012). An estimated 70% of people with insomnia have secondary insomnia (Lichstein, 2000), and thus management within this group should include addressing precipitating factors.
Quality of sleep is as important as the number of hours one sleeps. It is seen that sleep quality declines with increasing age (Rajput & Bromley, 1999). Various epidemiological studies have shown a link between declining sleep quality and cognitive deterioration in the elderly (Landry, Best, & Liu-Ambrose, 2015). With the growing population of people over 65 living longer with each generation, it is pertinent to research further into sleep disorders and their relationship with diminished …show more content…
It a self-reported questionnaire and has shown to have good reliability and validity among older men and women (Beaudreau et al., 2012; Spira et al., 2011) and thus is regarded almost as a gold standard for measurement. A high PSQI score indicates poor sleep quality, and has been associated with previously mentioned health disturbances. Other tools used to measure sleep quality include the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) which measures daytime sleepiness (Luyster et al., 2015). Considering these are self-reported means of acquiring sleep information, there is a probability of subjectiveness and poor recollection in individuals. Objective measures of sleep architecture and disorders include the Polysomnography and Actigraphy. These are used by healthcare professionals to assess sleep variables (Petit, Azad, Byszewski, Sarazan, & Power,
Sleep is one of the basic necessities of living. Various studies have shown that adequate sleep is important for optimal productivity and output. The definition of adequate sleep is generally accepted as seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep for adults, and even greater time for children (Rajput & Bromley, 1999). With normal physiological changes occurring due to the ageing process, many people above 65 have six to six and a half hours of sleep (Feinberg, Koresko, & Heller, 1967). In the older population, sleep is shown to be important in health and in allaying deterioration (Lim et al., 2013), helping in memory retention, recall and consolidation (Mazzoni, 1991). More than 50% of the elderly however have …show more content…
Despite affecting a quarter of the senior citizen population, only 33% of this number discuss their symptoms with their medical provider (Epstein & Bootzin, 2012). With insomnia, there is difficulty initiating as well as maintaining sleep, and is regarded as primary when there is no relation to a pathology, and secondary when it is as a result of an underlying illness or medication (Epstein & Bootzin, 2012). An estimated 70% of people with insomnia have secondary insomnia (Lichstein, 2000), and thus management within this group should include addressing precipitating factors.
Quality of sleep is as important as the number of hours one sleeps. It is seen that sleep quality declines with increasing age (Rajput & Bromley, 1999). Various epidemiological studies have shown a link between declining sleep quality and cognitive deterioration in the elderly (Landry, Best, & Liu-Ambrose, 2015). With the growing population of people over 65 living longer with each generation, it is pertinent to research further into sleep disorders and their relationship with diminished …show more content…
It a self-reported questionnaire and has shown to have good reliability and validity among older men and women (Beaudreau et al., 2012; Spira et al., 2011) and thus is regarded almost as a gold standard for measurement. A high PSQI score indicates poor sleep quality, and has been associated with previously mentioned health disturbances. Other tools used to measure sleep quality include the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) which measures daytime sleepiness (Luyster et al., 2015). Considering these are self-reported means of acquiring sleep information, there is a probability of subjectiveness and poor recollection in individuals. Objective measures of sleep architecture and disorders include the Polysomnography and Actigraphy. These are used by healthcare professionals to assess sleep variables (Petit, Azad, Byszewski, Sarazan, & Power,