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Aging and Lung Disease pp 45–59Cite as

Physiologic Changes in Sleep with Aging

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Abstract

There are marked changes in the sleep state architecture in the first year of life with a marked reduction in REM sleep and the acquisition of K-complexes, sleep spindles, and slow-wave sleep. During adolescence, there is a 40% reduction in slow-wave sleep and a delay in the circadian phase. In the elderly, sleep becomes more fragmented and slow-wave sleep diminishes further. With aging, airway collapsibility increases resulting in obstructive apnea and oxygen desaturation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Respiratory Diseases, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Children’s Hospital Boston, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Stephanie O. Zandieh

  2. Division of Respiratory Diseases, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Children’s Hospital Boston, Boston, MA, USA

    Eliot S. Katz

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  1. Stephanie O. Zandieh
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  2. Eliot S. Katz
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Correspondence to Eliot S. Katz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Yale University, Cedar Street 330, New Haven, 06520-8057, Connecticut, USA

    Margaret Pisani

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Zandieh, S.O., Katz, E.S. (2012). Physiologic Changes in Sleep with Aging. In: Pisani, M. (eds) Aging and Lung Disease. Respiratory Medicine. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60761-727-3_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60761-727-3_3

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