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Sleep and Aging

Sleep and Aging. Meredith Broderick, MD April 2, 2008. Sleep and Aging. How does sleep change as we age? Do we need less sleep as we get older? Can a person expect to experience more sleep problems or have a sleep disorder as they advance in age?

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Sleep and Aging

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  1. Sleep and Aging Meredith Broderick, MD April 2, 2008

  2. Sleep and Aging • How does sleep change as we age? • Do we need less sleep as we get older? • Can a person expect to experience more sleep problems or have a sleep disorder as they advance in age? • As we age, how does sleep affect our overall health, medical conditions and general well being? • What can we do to get good sleep?

  3. What is aging? What is sleep? • multidimensional process of physical, psychological, and social change

  4. Normal sleep hypnogram

  5. Myths about sleep and aging • Poor sleep is an inevitable consequence of getting older • Being sleepy is part of the aging process

  6. Normal Sleep and Normal Aging:Less Deep Sleep

  7. Health and Environment Affect Our Sleep With age, we become more sensitive to: • Hormonal Changes • Physiological Conditions • Environmental Conditions • Light • Noise • Temperature

  8. Normal Sleep and Normal Aging:Sleep Efficiency Sleep Efficiency (% Time in Bed Sleeping) Men Women Age Changes with age

  9. Changes in sleep with Aging • Increased napping through out the day • Increased sleep latency • Increase in awakenings and arousals • Decreased stage 3 and 4 sleep (slow wave sleep) • Increased stage 1 sleep. Stage 2 sleep is variable. • Decreased REM sleep. REM sleep appears to be equally distributed through sleep cycles. I.e. there is no increase in REM at the end of the sleep period. • Reduced sleep efficiency • Increased stage shifts • Fewer cycles • Phase advancement • Decreased melatonin levels

  10. Sleep Related Changes and Aging

  11. Sleep Changes with Age

  12. Sleep and Aging

  13. Sleep changes and aging • Aging is associated with malfunction or decrease in sensitivity of the SCN to environmental cues to adjust circadian rhythm to a natural 24-hour day/night cycle • More fragmented sleep • Increased in stage 1 and 2 sleep with more fragmented REM sleep indicating more dreaming • Slow wave sleep is reduced

  14. Sleep and Aging • In the 2003 Sleep in America poll, NSF profiled the sleep patterns of older Americans. About two-thirds of older adults reported experiencing one or more symptoms of a sleep problem at least a few nights a week

  15. Age related changes in the Brain • Decrease brain to cranium volume • Loss of neurons • Loss of mass • Increasing gray to white ratio

  16. Sleep and Aging • NSF 2003 Sleep in America poll • The first NSF poll to look at the sleep habits of older Americans -- those between the ages of 55 and 84 -- and the association between their sleep behavior, their medical and physical conditions, their outlook and their lifestyles.

  17. Sleep and Aging • More older adults are sleeping 7-9 hours on both weeknights and weekends (56% vs. 51% for weeknights and 60% vs. 55% for weekends). Additionally, the 32% of older adults who nap 1–3 days a week or more get an average of 41-51 minutes of supplemental sleep time.

  18. Sleep and Aging • NSF poll found that the better the health of older adults, the more likely they are to sleep well • The greater the number of diagnosed medical conditions, the more likely they are to report sleep problems. • Positive moods and outlooks as well as having more active and "engaged" lifestyles (having someone to speak with about a problem, exercise, volunteer activity, etc.) are associated with sleeping 7–9 hours and fewer sleep complaints.

  19. Sleep and Aging • Rather than a consequence of aging, poor sleep among older Americans appears to be an indicator of health status

  20. Summary:Sleep Changes • Sleep during the night changes with increasing age: • Less deep sleep and more lighter sleep • More difficulty maintaining sleep due to arousals and awakenings • Sleep is less efficient and more fragmented • The internal biological clock shifts to earlier bed and wake times • Older persons experience a higher prevalence of medical conditions and take meds that interrupt sleep and are associated with sleep • problems/disorders • Older persons experience a higher prevalence of sleep disorders

  21. Summary:Consequences of Sleep Changes • Tendency to stay in bed longer to get a sufficientamount of sleep results in worse sleep • More likely to take more naps to meetsleep need—may result in worse sleep • Inadequate or poor sleep results in daytimesleepiness and fatigue • Ability to function well, enjoy life andoverall quality of life is affected

  22. Summary:What you can do • Learn about sleep • Understand how your sleep changes and observe your habits and experiences • Apply healthy sleep practices to your sleep style so that you get sufficient quality sleep • Talk to your doctor about your sleep and see a sleep specialist if you experience chronic difficulty sleeping and/or have symptoms of sleep disorders

  23. Thank you!

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