Many older adults suffer from sleeping problems like “sleep fragmentation,” a fancy term for waking up often in the middle of the night. According to a new study in The American Journal of Medicine, more than half of older Americans have trouble getting an adequate amount of sleep. Researchers say they should be getting about the same amount of sleep as younger adults.
Some of seniors’ sleeping problems stem from disturbances associated with chronic illnesses, side effects from taking multiple medications and depression or anxiety. The National Coalition for Sleep Disorders in Older People plans to publish guidelines surrounding prevention, diagnosis and sleep problems in older adults in 2008.
