The relationship between alertness and sleep in a population of 769 elderly insomniacs with and without treatment with zolpidem

The sleep and life rhythms of 769 insomniacs aged more than 65 years were r ecorded during a period of 3 months before and after a treatment with 5 mg or 10 mg zolpidem per day during 27 days. The patients were selected by gen eral practitioners throughout France: all had been suffering from insomnia for more than 3 weeks and were included in the study whether they had or ha d not been treated for these sleep disturbances. The evaluation of sleep an d life rhythms was made by both the practitioners and the patients during 3 months. A single course of 5 or 10 mg per day of zolpidem during 27 days s eemed sufficient to improve sleep parameters and increase alertness in a la rge percentage of insomniacs, thus establishing a clear relationship betwee n sleep and alertness in the elderly. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd . All rights reserved.