SLEEP AND SLEEP DISORDERS IN OLDER ADULTS

Complaints of sleep disturbance increase with age. Objective sleep ass essments using polysomnography reveal sleep impairments (increased wak efulness and arousal from sleep; decreased slow wave sleep) even in he althy seniors. Both polysomnographic sleep and subjective sleep worsen in the presence of health impairments related to drug use, pain, card iovascular disease, diabetes, depression, or other emotional disorders . In addition to normal aging and chronic disease, sleep complaints ca n also result from poor sleep habits, specific occult disorders during sleep, or some combination of these factors. Occult disorders include sleep apnea syndrome, periodic leg movements, and restless legs syndr ome during sleep. Diagnosis and treatment of these and other sleep dis orders is discussed. Both pharmacological and nonpharmacological treat ments are considered, with an emphasis on behavioral and educative tre atment approaches.