This also highlights the need for doctors to ask their older patients about their sleep habits and what they’re doing to address any issues they may be having. Even so, many said they didn’t see sleep issues as a health problem – in fact, this belief was the most common reason that poll respondents said they didn’t talk to their doctor about sleep. Insomnia and other irregular sleep patterns can interfere with daytime functioning, and are associated with memory issues, depression and an increased risk of falls and accidents. Other reasons for sleep troubles included having to get up to use the bathroom at night, and worry or stress. And 40 percent of those with frequent sleep problems said their overall health was fair or poor. Twenty-three percent of poll respondents who had trouble sleeping said it was because of pain. Other health conditions can contribute to sleep difficulties.
Fifteen percent of the poll respondents said they had trouble falling asleep three or more nights a week. In all, 46 percent of those polled had trouble falling asleep one or more nights a week. She notes that non-medication-based sleep habits are the first choice for improving sleep in older people. “Our poll shows that nearly two-thirds of those who did so got helpful advice – but a large percentage of those with sleep problems simply weren’t talking about it.” “The first step for anyone having trouble sleeping on a regular basis should be to talk to a doctor about it,” she continues. “Some of these medications can create big concerns for older adults, from falls and memory issues to confusion and constipation,” even if they’re sold without a prescription.
OVER THE COUNTER SLEEP AID TV
“Although sleep problems can happen at any age and for many reasons, they can’t be cured by taking a pill, either prescription, over-the-counter or herbal, no matter what the ads on TV say,” says poll director Preeti Malani, M.D., a U-M physician trained in geriatric medicine. Food and Drug Administration say such drugs are only for short-term use. Most who use such drugs to help them sleep had been taking them for years. In fact, national guidelines strongly warn against prescription sleep medicine use by people over age 65.ĭespite this, the nationally representative poll of people ages 65 to 80 finds that 8 percent of older people take prescription sleep medicine regularly or occasionally.Īmong those who report sleep troubles three or more nights a week, 23 percent use a prescription sleep aid. Those who turn to medications may not realize that prescription, over-the-counter and even “natural” sleep aids carry health risks, especially for older adults, either alone or in combination with other substances. The poll was conducted by the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, and is sponsored by AARP and Michigan Medicine, U-M’s academic medical center. Half believe - incorrectly - that sleep problems just come naturally with age.
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