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Aging News & Information
Tips for Senior Citizens to Get a Good Nights Sleep
Offered by Longevity Center
New report issued: The Role of Sleep In Healthy
Aging
 December 7, 2006 - Sleep is essential to
well-being, quality of life and overall health, especially among the
older population according to the new report The Role of Sleep In
Healthy Aging, published by the International Longevity Center-USA.
The organization also offers some things senior citizens can do, and
should not do, to get a good nights sleep.
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The prevalence of sleep-related problems increases
with age, says Dr. Harrison Bloom, coauthor of the report and senior
associate with the ILC-USA. A common misconception is that older
individuals require less sleep and older people themselves believe they
need less sleep than younger people."
Many clinicians are unaware of the serious
conditions associated with insomnia in older adults, says the report.
Older adults with sleep-related problems are more likely to be
depressed, suffer attention and memory problems, experience daytime
sleepiness and are at higher risk of falls than those who have good
quality of sleep.
If older adults suffer from insomnia, a thorough
medical evaluation may be necessary.
The ILC-USA also recommends the following tips for
healthful sleep hygiene:
Do:
Go to bed at the same time each night, and get up and out of
bed at the same time each morning
Keep your bedroom/sleeping area dark, cool, quiet, restful and
comfortable If you cannot fall asleep within 20 minutes, get out of
bed and read something boring until you feel sleepy
Engage in physical activity, outdoors if possible, during the day (at
least 4 hours before bedtime)
Take a hot bath 60-90 minutes before bedtime
Listen to soft or soothing music
Use visualization - picture a relaxing scene
Do not:
Drink caffeinated beverages for at least 6 hours before going
to bed. This includes coffee, tea and soda
Drink alcohol at bedtime or for 2 hours before bedtime, daytime
alcohol consumption should be in moderation
Smoke cigarettes at least 4 hours before bedtime, of course, it's
best not to smoke at all
Fall asleep with the television on
Exercise within 4 hours of going to bed Read stimulating material
while in bed just before turning out the lights
Take a long nap during the day (more than 30 minutes)
Go to bed too hungry or too full. If hungry, a light carbohydrate
snack (e.g. crackers with milk) may help.
The report also outlines prescription and
over-the-counter drug interventions including trazodone, antihistamines,
benzodiazepines and melatonin-receptor agonists. The report examines the
potential negative effects of polypharmacy and calls for additional
research and clinical trials.
Raising the awareness of sleep disorders among
independent older persons, caregivers and clinicians who care for older
persons should become a priority, concludes James Nyberg, coauthor of
the report and program director of elder services in Newport County,
Rhode Island.
The Role of Sleep In Healthy Aging recommends
physician training, increased patient education and additional research
on sleep and its effects on aging, stress and disease.
The report was supported through an unrestricted
educational grant from Takeda Pharmaceuticals N.A. To download The Role
of Sleep in Healthy Aging please visit the ILC-USA website at http://www.ilcusa.org/_lib/pdf/Sleep&HealthyAging.pdf.
To request a copy of the publication contact meganm@ilcusa.org.
The International Longevity Center-USA is a
research policy organization in New York City and has sister centers in
Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa. Led by Dr. Robert N. Butler, a
world renowned physician specializing in geriatrics, the Center is a
non-for-profit, non-partisan organization with a staff of economists,
medical and health researchers, demographers and others who study the
impact of population aging on society.
The ILC-USA focuses on combating ageism, healthy
aging, productive engagement and the financing of old age. The ILC-USA
is an independent affiliate of Mount Sinai School of Medicine and is
incorporated as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) entity. More information on the
ILC-USA can be found at www.ilcusa.org
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