Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Sleep and Sleep Disorders in Older Adults

  • Review
  • Published:
Neuropsychology Review Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A common but significant change associated with aging is a profound disruption to the daily sleep-wake cycle. It has been estimated that as many as 50% of older adults complain about difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep. Poor sleep results in increased risk of significant morbidity and mortality. Moreover, in younger adults, compromised sleep has been shown to have a consistent effect on cognitive function, which may suggest that sleep problems contribute to the cognitive changes that accompany older age. The multifactorial nature of variables affecting sleep in old age cannot be overstated. Changes in sleep have been thought to reflect normal developmental processes, which can be further compromised by sleep disturbances secondary to medical or psychiatric diseases (e.g., chronic pain, dementia, depression), a primary sleep disorder that can itself be age-related (e.g., Sleep Disordered Breathing and Periodic Limb Movements During Sleep), or some combination of any of these factors. Given that changes in sleep quality and quantity in later life have implications for quality of life and level of functioning, it is imperative to distinguish the normal age-related sleep changes from those originating from pathological processes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Article Open access 23 February 2018

Caroline J. Lavoie, Michelle R. Zeidler & Jennifer L. Martin

References

  • Achermann, P., & Borbely, A. A. (1997). Low-frequency (< 1 Hz) oscillations in the human sleep electroencephalogram. Neuroscience, 81, 213–222.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Achermann, P., & Borbély, A. A. (1994). Simulation of daytime vigilance by the additive interaction of a homeostatic and a circadian process. Biological Cybernetics, 71, 115–121.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Åkerstedt, T., & Gillberg, M. (1986). Sleep duration and the power spectral density of the EEG. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 64, 119–122.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Aloia, M. S., Ilniczky, N., Di Dio, P., Perlis, M. L., Greenblatt, D. W., & Giles, D. E. (2003). Neuropsychological changes and treatment compliance in older adults with sleep apnea. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 54, 71–76.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Amzica, F., & Massimini, M. (2002). Glial and neuronal interactions during slow wave and paroxysmal activities in the neocortex. Cerebral Cortex, 12, 1101–1113.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Amzica, F., & Steriade, M. (1997). The K-complex: its slow (<1-Hz) rhythmicity and relation to delta waves. Neurology, 49, 952–959.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Amzica, F., & Steriade, M. (1998). Electrophysiological correlates of sleep delta waves. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 107, 69–83.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ancoli-Israel, S. (2005). Sleep and aging: prevalence of disturbed sleep and treatment considerations in older adults. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 66(Suppl 9), 24–30.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ancoli-Israel, S., Klauber, M. R., Butters, N., Parker, L., & Kripke, D. F. (1991a). Dementia in institutionalized elderly: relation to sleep apnea. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 39, 258–263.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ancoli-Israel, S., Klauber, M. R., Gillin, J. C., Campbell, S. S., & Hofstetter, C. R. (1994). Sleep in non-institutionalized Alzheimer’s disease patients. Aging (Milano.), 6, 451–458.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ancoli-Israel, S., Klauber, M. R., Jones, D. W., Kripke, D. F., Martin, J., Mason, W., et al. (1997). Variations in circadian rhythms of activity, sleep, and light exposure related to dementia in nursing-home patients. Sleep, 20, 18–23.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ancoli-Israel, S., Kripke, D. F., Klauber, M. R., Mason, W. J., Fell, R., & Kaplan, O. (1991b). Periodic limb movements in sleep in community-dwelling elderly. Sleep, 14, 496–500.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ancoli-Israel, S., Kripke, D. F., Klauber, M. R., Mason, W. J., Fell, R., & Kaplan, O. (1991c). Sleep-disordered breathing in community-dwelling elderly. Sleep, 14, 486–495.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ancoli-Israel, S., Kripke, D., Klauber, M. R., Parker, L., Stepnowsky, C., Kullen, A., et al. (1993). Natural history of sleep disordered breathing in community dwelling elderly. Sleep, 16, S25–S29.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ancoli-Israel, S., Kripke, D. F., Mason, W., & Kaplan, O. J. (1985). Sleep apnea and periodic movements in an aging sample. Journal of Gerontology, 49, 419–425.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ancoli-Israel, S., Parker, L., Sinaee, R., Fell, R. L., & Kripke, D. F. (1989). Sleep fragmentation in patients from a nursing home. Journal of Gerontology, 44, M18–M21.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ancoli-Israel, S., Richardson, G. S., Mangano, R. M., Jenkins, L., Hall, P., & Jones, W. S. (2005). Long-term use of sedative hypnotics in older patients with insomnia. Sleep Medicine, 6, 107–113.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, C., & Horne, J. A. (2003). Prefrontal cortex: links between low frequency delta EEG in sleep and neuropsychological performance in healthy, older people. Psychophysiology, 40, 349–357.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barbar, S. I., Enright, P. L., Boyle, P., Foley, D., Sharp, D. S., Petrovitch, H., et al. (2000). Sleep disturbances and their correlates in elderly Japanese American men residing in Hawaii. Journals of Gerontology. Series A, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 55, M406–M411.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bassetti, C., & Aldrich, M. S. (1999). Sleep apnea in acute cerebrovascular diseases: final report on 128 patients. Sleep, 22, 217–223.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bastien, C., & Campbell, K. (1992). The evoked K-complex: all-or-none phenomenon? Sleep, 15, 236–245.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Blatter, K., Graw, P., Munch, M., Knoblauch, V., Wirz-Justice, A., & Cajochen, C. (2006). Gender and age differences in psychomotor vigilance performance under differential sleep pressure conditions. Behavioural Brain Research, 168, 312–317.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bliese, P. D., Wesensten, N. J., & Balkin, T. J. (2006). Age and individual variability in performance during sleep restriction. Journal of Sleep Research, 15, 376–385.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bliwise, D. L. (1993). Sleep in normal aging and dementia. Sleep, 16, 40–81.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bliwise, D. L., Carskadon, M. A., & Dement, W. C. (1988). Nightly variation of periodic leg movements in sleep in middle aged and elderly individuals. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 7, 273–279.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bliwise, D. L., King, A. C., Harris, R. B., & Haskell, W. L. (1992). Prevalence of self-reported poor sleep in a healthy population aged 50–65. Social Science & Medicine, 34, 49–55.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bliwise, D. L., Trotti, L. M., Greer, S. A., Juncos, J. J., & Rye, D. B. (2010). Phasic muscle activity in sleep and clinical features of Parkinson disease. Annals of Neurology, 68, 353–359.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Blois, R., Feinberg, I., Gaillard, J. M., Kupfer, D. J., & Webb, W. B. (1983). Sleep in normal and pathological aging. Experientia, 39, 551–558.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bodizs, R., Bekesy, M., Szucs, A., Barsi, P., & Halasz, P. (2002). Sleep-dependent hippocampal slow activity correlates with waking memory performance in humans. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 78, 441–457.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bonnet, M. H. (1986). Performance and sleepiness following moderate sleep disruption and slow wave sleep deprivation. Physiology & Behavior, 37, 915–918.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bonnet, M. H. (1989). The effect of sleep fragmentation on sleep and performance in younger and older subjects. Neurobiology of Aging, 10, 21–25.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brassington, G. S., King, A. C., & Bliwise, D. L. (2000). Sleep problems as a risk factor for falls in a sample of community-dwelling adults aged 64–99 years. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 48, 1234–1240.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Buzsaki, G., Bickford, R. G., Ponomareff, G., Thal, L. J., Mandel, R., & Gage, F. H. (1988). Nucleus basalis and thalamic control of neocortical activity in the freely moving rat. The Journal of Neuroscience, 8, 4007–4026.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Capampangan, D. J., Wellik, K. E., Parish, J. M., Aguilar, M. I., Snyder, C. R., Wingerchuk, D., et al. (2010). Is obstructive sleep apnea an independent risk factor for stroke? A critically appraised topic. The Neurologist, 16, 269–273.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chesson, A. L., Jr., Wise, M., Davila, D., Johnson, S., Littner, M., Anderson, W. M., et al. (1999). Practice parameters for the treatment of restless legs syndrome and periodic limb movement disorder. An american academy of sleep medicine report. Standards of practice committee of the american academy of sleep medicine. Sleep, 22, 961–968.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chotinaiwattarakul, W., Dayalu, P., Chervin, R. D., & Albin, R. L. (2010). Risk of sleep-disordered breathing in Parkinson’s disease. Sleep Breath.

  • Colrain, I. M., Crowley, K. E., Nicholas, C. L., Afifi, L., Baker, F. C., Padilla, M., et al. (2010). Sleep evoked delta frequency responses show a linear decline in amplitude across the adult lifespan. Neurobiology of Aging, 31, 874–883.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Colrain, I. M., Webster, K. E., & Hirst, G. (1999). The N550 component of the evoked K-complex: a modality non-specific response? Journal of Sleep Research, 8, 273–280.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cote, K. A., Epps, T. M., & Campbell, K. B. (2000). The role of the spindle in human information processing of high-intensity stimuli during sleep. Journal of Sleep Research, 9, 19–26.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crowley, K., Sullivan, E. V., Adalsteinsson, E., Pfefferbaum, A., & Colrain, I. M. (2005). Differentiating pathologic delta from healthy physiologic delta in patients with Alzheimer disease. Sleep, 28, 865–870.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crowley, K., Trinder, J., & Colrain, I. M. (2002a). An examination of evoked K-complex amplitude and frequency of occurrence in the elderly. Journal of Sleep Research, 11, 129–140.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crowley, K., Trinder, J., & Colrain, I. M. (2004). Evoked K-complex generation: the impact of sleep spindles and age. Clinical Neurophysiology, 115, 471–476.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crowley, K., Trinder, J., Kim, Y., Carrington, M., & Colrain, I. M. (2002b). The effects of normal aging on sleep spindle and K-complex production. Clinical Neurophysiology, 113, 1615–1622.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Czeisler, C. A., Dumont, M., Duffy, J. F., Steinberg, J. D., Richardson, G. S., Brown, E. N., et al. (1992). Association of sleep-wake habits in older people with changes in output of circadian pacemaker. Lancet, 340, 933–936.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Czeisler, C. A., Weitzman, E. D., Moore-Ede, M. C., Kronauer, R. E., Zimmerman, J. C., & Campbell, C. (1980). Human sleep: its duration and structure depend on the interaction of two separate circadian oscillators. Sleep Research, 9, 270.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daan, S., & Beersma, D. (1984). Circadian gating of human sleep-wake cycles. In M. C. Moore-Ede & C. A. Czeisler (Eds.), Mathematical models of the circadian sleep-wake cycle (pp. 129–158). New York: Raven.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dement, W. C., Miles, L. E., & Carskadon, M. A. (1982). “White paper” on sleep and aging. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 30, 25–50.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dement, W. C., Richardson, G. S., Prinz, P., Carskadon, M. A., Kripke, D., & Czeisler, C. A. (1985). Changes of sleep and wakefulness with age. In C. E. Finch & E. L. Schneider (Eds.), Handbook of the biology of aging (pp. 692–717). New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dew, M. A., Hoch, C. C., Buysse, D. J., Monk, T. H., Begley, A. E., Houck, P., et al. (2003). Healthy older adults’ sleep predicts all-cause mortality at 4 to 19 years of follow-up. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65, 63–73.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dickel, M. J., & Mosko, S. S. (1990). Morbidity cut-offs for sleep apnea and periodic leg movements in predicting subjective complaints in seniors. Sleep, 13, 155–166.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dijk, D. J., Beersma, D. G. M., & Daan, S. (1987a). EEG power density during nap sleep: reflection of an hourglass measuring the duration of prior wakefulness. Journal of Biological Rhythms, 2, 207–219.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dijk, D. J., Beersma, D. G. M., Daan, S., Bloem, G. M., & VandenHoofdakker, R. H. (1987b). Quantitative analysis of the effects of slow wave sleep deprivation during the first 3 h of sleep on subsequent EEG power density. European Archives of Psychiatry and Neurological Sciences, 236, 323–328.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dijk, D. J., & Cajochen, C. (1997). Melatonin and the circadian regulation of sleep initiation, consolidation, structure, and the sleep EEG. Journal of Biological Rhythms, 12, 627–635.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dijk, D. J., & Czeisler, C. A. (1994). Paradoxical timing of the circadian rhythm of sleep propensity serves to consolidate sleep and wakefulness in humans. Neuroscience Letters, 166, 63–68.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dijk, D. J., Duffy, J. F., & Czeisler, C. A. (1992). Circadian and sleep/wake dependent aspects of subjective alertness and cognitive performance. Journal of Sleep Research, 1, 112–117.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dijk, D. J., Duffy, J. F., & Czeisler, C. A. (2000). Contribution of circadian physiology and sleep homeostasis to age-related changes in human sleep. Chronobiology International, 17, 285–311.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dijk, D. J., Kelly, T. K., Riel, E., Duffy, J. F., & Czeisler, C. A. (1999). Altered homeostatic delta EEG response to sleep loss in older people? Sleep, 22(suppl), S226.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dijk, D. J., Shanahan, T. L., Duffy, J. F., Ronda, J. M., & Czeisler, C. A. (1997). Variation of electroencephalographic activity during non-rapid eye movement and rapid eye movement sleep with phase of circadian melatonin rhythm in humans. Journal of Physiology, London, 505(3), 851–858.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Driscoll, I., Davatzikos, C., An, Y., Wu, X., Shen, D., Kraut, M., et al. (2009). Longitudinal pattern of regional brain volume change differentiates normal aging from MCI. Neurology, 72, 1906–1913.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Duffy, J. F., & Czeisler, C. A. (2002). Age-related change in the relationship between circadian period, circadian phase, and diurnal preference in humans. Neuroscience Letters, 318, 117–120.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Duffy, J. F., Dijk, D. J., Klerman, E. B., & Czeisler, C. A. (1998). Later endogenous circadian temperature nadir relative to an earlier wake time in older people. The American Journal of Physiology, 275, R1478–R1487.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Duffy, J. F., Willson, H. J., Wang, W., & Czeisler, C. A. (2009). Healthy older adults better tolerate sleep deprivation than young adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 57, 1245–1251.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Durston, S., Hulshoff Pol, H. E., Casey, B. J., Giedd, J. N., Buitelaar, J. K., & Van, E. H. (2001). Anatomical MRI of the developing human brain: what have we learned? Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 1012–1020.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ehlers, C. L., & Kupfer, D. J. (1989). Effects of age on delta and REM sleep parameters. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 72, 118–125.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ehlers, C. L., & Kupfer, D. J. (1997). Slow-wave sleep: Do young adult men and women age differently? Journal of Sleep Research, 6, 211–215.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eisensehr, I., Linke, R., Noachtar, S., Schwarz, J., Gildehaus, F. J., & Tatsch, K. (2000). Reduced striatal dopamine transporters in idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder. Comparison with Parkinson’s disease and controls. Brain, 123(Pt 6), 1155–1160.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Elton, M., Winter, O., Heslenfeld, D., Loewy, D., Campbell, K., & Kok, A. (1997). Event-related potentials to tones in the absence and presence of sleep spindles. Journal of Sleep Research, 6, 78–83.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Feinberg, I., & Campbell, I. G. (2003). Kinetics of non-rapid eye movement delta production across sleep and waking in young and elderly normal subjects: theoretical implications. Sleep, 26, 192–200.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Feinberg, I., Koresko, R. L., & Heller, N. (1967). EEG sleep patterns as a function of normal and pathological aging in man. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 5, 107–144.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Foley, D., Ancoli-Israel, S., Britz, P., & Walsh, J. (2004). Sleep disturbances and chronic disease in older adults: results of the 2003 National Sleep Foundation Sleep in America Survey. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 56, 497–502.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Foley, D. J., Masaki, K., White, L., Larkin, E. K., Monjan, A., & Redline, S. (2003). Sleep-disordered breathing and cognitive impairment in elderly Japanese-American men. Sleep, 26, 596–599.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Foley, D. J., Monjan, A. A., Brown, S. L., Simonsick, E. M., Wallace, R. B., & Blazer, D. G. (1995). Sleep complaints among elderly persons: An epidemiologic study of three communities. Sleep, 18, 425–432.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gagnon, J. F., Postuma, R. B., Mazza, S., Doyon, J., & Montplaisir, J. (2006). Rapid-eye-movement sleep behaviour disorder and neurodegenerative diseases. Lancet Neurology, 5, 424–432.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gehrman, P. R., Martin, J. L., Shochat, T., Nolan, S., Corey-Bloom, J., & Ancoli-Israel, S. (2003). Sleep-disordered breathing and agitation in institutionalized adults with Alzheimer disease. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 11, 426–433.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Giedd, J. N. (2004). Structural magnetic resonance imaging of the adolescent brain. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1021, 77–85.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gillin, J. C., & Byerley, W. F. (1990). Drug therapy: the diagnosis and management of insomnia. New England Journal of Medicine, 322, 239–248.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Godoy, J., Mellado, P., Tapia, J., & Santin, J. (2009). Obstructive sleep apnea as an independent stroke risk factor: possible mechanisms. Current Molecular Medicine, 9, 203–209.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Good, C. D., Johnsrude, I. S., Ashburner, J., Henson, R. N., Friston, K. J., & Frackowiak, R. S. (2001). A voxel-based morphometric study of ageing in 465 normal adult human brains. Neuroimage, 14, 21–36.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goulart, F. O., Godke, B. A., Borges, V., Azevedo-Silva, S. M., Mendes, M. F., Cendoroglo, M. S., et al. (2009). Fatigue in a cohort of geriatric patients with and without Parkinson’s disease. Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research, 42, 771–775.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hauri, P., & Whisby, J. (1992). Wrist actigraph in insomnia. Sleep, 15, 293–301.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hauri, P. J., & Wisbey, J. (1994). Actigraphy and insomnia: a closer look part 2: A reply to Dr. Mark J. Chambers. Sleep, 17, 408–410.

    Google Scholar 

  • Horowitz, T. S., Cade, B. E., Wolfe, J. M., & Czeisler, C. A. (2003). Searching night and day: a dissociation of effects of circadian phase and time awake on visual selective attention and vigilance. Psychological Science, 14, 549–557.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Huber, R., Ghilardi, M. F., Massimini, M., & Tononi, G. (2004). Local sleep and learning. Nature, 430, 78–81.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jernigan, T. L., Archibald, S. L., Fennema-Notestine, C., Gamst, A. C., Stout, J. C., Bonner, J., et al. (2001). Effects of age on tissues and regions of the cerebrum and cerebellum. Neurobiology of Aging, 22, 581–594.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johansson, P., Alehagen, U., Svanborg, E., Dahlstrom, U., & Brostrom, A. (2009). Sleep disordered breathing in an elderly community-living population: relationship to cardiac function, insomnia symptoms and daytime sleepiness. Sleep Medicine, 10, 1005–1011.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, M. P., Duffy, J. F., Dijk, D. J., Ronda, J. M., Dyal, C. M., & Czeisler, C. A. (1992). Short-term memory, alertness and performance: a reappraisal of their relationship to body temperature. Journal of Sleep Research, 1, 24–29.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, K. G., & Johnson, D. C. (2010a). Frequency of sleep apnea in stroke and TIA patients: a meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 6, 131–137.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, K. G., & Johnson, D. C. (2010b). Obstructive sleep apnea is a risk factor for stroke and atrial fibrillation. Chest, 138, 239–240.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Klein, D. C., Moore, R. Y., & Reppert, S. M. (1991). Suprachiasmatic nucleus: The mind’s clock. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knoblauch, V., Münch, M., Blatter, K., Martens, W. L. J., Schröder, C., Schnitzler, C., et al. (2005). Age-related changes in the circadian modulation of sleep-spindle frequency during nap sleep. Sleep, 28, 1093–1101.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kubicki, S., Scheuler, W., Jobert, M., & Pastelak-Price, C. (1989). The effect of age on sleep spindle and K complex density. EEG EMG Z Elektroenzephalogr Elektromyogr Verwandte Geb, 20, 59–63.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Landolt, H.-P., Dijk, D. J., Achermann, P., & Borbély, A. A. (1996). Effect of age on the sleep EEG: slow-wave activity and spindle frequency activity in young and middle-aged men. Brain Research, 738, 205–212.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Larsen, L. H., Moe, K. E., Vitiello, M. V., & Prinz, P. N. (1995). Age trends in the sleep EEG of healthy older men and women. Journal of Sleep Research, 4, 160–172.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McCurry, S. M., Reynolds, C. F., Ancoli-Israel, S., Teri, L., & Vitiello, M. V. (2000). Treatment of sleep disturbance in Alzheimer’s disease. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 4, 603–628.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Monk, T. H. (2005). Aging human circadian rhythms: conventional wisdom may not always be right. Journal of Biological Rhythms, 20, 366–374.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Montplaisir, J., Boucher, S., Gosselin, A., Poirier, G., & Lavigne, G. (1996). Persistence of repetitive EEG arousals (K-alpha complexes) in RLS treated with L-Dopa. Sleep, 19, 196–199.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mosko, S. S., Dickel, M. J., & Ashurst, J. (1988a). Night-to-night variability in sleep apnea and sleep-related periodic leg movements in the elderly. Sleep, 11, 340–348.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mosko, S. S., Dickel, M. J., & Paul, T. (1988b). Sleep apnea and sleep-related periodic leg movements in community seniors. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 36, 502–508.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mourtazaev, M. S., Kemp, B., Zwinderman, A. H., & Kamphuisen, H. A. C. (1995). Age and gender affect different characteristics of slow wave in the sleep EEG. Sleep, 18, 557–564.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Naismith, S. L., Rogers, N. L., Mackenzie, J., Hickie, I. B., & Lewis, S. J. (2010). The relationship between actigraphically defined sleep disturbance and REM sleep behaviour disorder in Parkinson’s Disease. Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery, 112, 420–423.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Niggemyer, K. A., Begley, A., Monk, T., & Buysse, D. J. (2004). Circadian and homeostatic modulation of sleep in older adults during a 90-minute day study. Sleep, 27, 1535–1541.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Niiyama, Y., Fushimi, M., Sekine, A., & Hishikawa, Y. (1995). K-complex evoked in NREM sleep is accompanied by a slow negative potential related to cognitive process. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 95, 27–33.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ohayon, M. M., Carskadon, M. A., Guilleminault, C., & Vitiello, M. V. (2004). Meta-analysis of quantitative sleep parameters from childhood to old age in healthy individuals: developing normative sleep values across the human lifespan. Sleep, 27, 1255–1273.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Olson, E. J., Boeve, B. F., & Silber, M. H. (2000). Rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder: demographic, clinical and laboratory findings in 93 cases. Brain, 123, 331–339.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Peppard, P. E., Young, T., Palta, M., & Skatrud, J. (2000). Prospective study of the association between sleep-disordered breathing and hypertension. The New England Journal of Medicine, 342, 1378–1384.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Peralta, C. M., Frauscher, B., Seppi, K., Wolf, E., Wenning, G. K., Hogl, B., et al. (2009). Restless legs syndrome in Parkinson’s disease. Movement Disorders, 24, 2076–2080.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pfefferbaum, A., Adalsteinsson, E., Spielman, D., Sullivan, E. V., & Lim, K. O. (1999). In vivo spectroscopic quantification of the N-acetyl moiety, creatine, and choline from large volumes of brain gray and white matter: effects of normal aging. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 41, 276–284.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pfefferbaum, A., Mathalon, D. H., Sullivan, E. V., Rawles, J. M., Zipursky, R. B., & Lim, K. O. (1994). A quantitative magnetic resonance imaging study of changes in brain morphology from infancy to late adulthood. Archives of Neurology, 51, 874–887.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, B., Young, T., Finn, L., Asher, K., Hening, W., & Purvis, C. (2000). Epidemiology of restless legs syndrome in adults. Archives of Internal Medicine, 160, 2137–2141.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pollak, C. P., & Perlick, D. (1991). Sleep problems and institutionalization of the elderly. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology, 4, 204–210.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Portela, P. C., Fumado, J. C., Garcia, H. Q., & Borrego, F. R. (2009). Sleep-disordered breathing and acute stroke. Cerebrovascular Diseases, 27(Suppl 1), 104–110.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Postuma, R. B., Gagnon, J. F., Vendette, M., & Montplaisir, J. Y. (2009). Idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder in the transition to degenerative disease. Movement Disorders, 24, 2225–2232.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Raz, N., & Rodrigue, K. M. (2006). Differential aging of the brain: patterns, cognitive correlates and modifiers. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 30, 730–748.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Raz, N., Rodrigue, K. M., & Haacke, E. M. (2007). Brain aging and its modifiers: insights from in vivo neuromorphometry and susceptibility weighted imaging. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1097, 84–93.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rechtschaffen, A., & Kales, A. (1968). A manual of standardized terminology, techniques and scoring system for sleep stages of human Subjects. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, C. F., III, Jennings, J. R., Hoch, C. C., Monk, T. H., Berman, S. R., Hall, F. T., et al. (1991a). Daytime sleepiness in healthy “old old”: A comparison with young adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 39, 957–962.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, C. F., III, Monk, T. H., Hoch, C. C., Jennings, J. R., Buysse, D. J., Houck, P. R., et al. (1991b). Electroencephalographic sleep in the healthy “Old Old”; a comparison with the “Young Old” in visually scored and automated measures. Journal of Gerontology, 46, M39–M46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riekkinen, P., Buzsaki, G., Riekkinen, P., Soininen, H., & Partanen, J. (1991). The cholinergic system and EEG slow waves. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 78(2), 89–96.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Riekkinen, P., Sirviö, J., & Riekkinen, P. (1990). Relationship between the cortical choline acetyltransferase content and EEG delta-power. Neuroscience Research, 8(1), 12–20.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, G. V., Stradling, J. R., & Davies, R. J. (2004). Sleep. 6: obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome and hypertension. Thorax, 59, 1089–1094.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Roth, T., & Ancoli-Israel, S. (1999). Daytime consequences and correlates of insomnia in the United States: results of the 1991 national sleep foundation survey II. Sleep, 22, S354–S358.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shamsuzzaman, A. S., Gersh, B. J., & Somers, V. K. (2003). Obstructive sleep apnea: implications for cardiac and vascular disease. JAMA., 290, 1906–1914.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shochat, T., Luboshitzky, R., & Lavie, P. (1997). Nocturnal melatonin onset is phase locked to the primary sleep gate. The American Journal of Physiology, 273, R364–R370.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Silva, E. J., Wang, W., Ronda, J. M., Wyatt, J. K., & Duffy, J. F. (2010). Circadian and wake-dependent influences on subjective sleepiness, cognitive throughput, and reaction time performance in older and young adults. Sleep.

  • Sowell, E. R., Peterson, B. S., Kan, E., Woods, R. P., Yoshii, J., Bansal, R., et al. (2007). Sex differences in cortical thickness mapped in 176 healthy individuals between 7 and 87 years of age. Cerebral Cortex, 17, 1550–1560.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sowell, E. R., Trauner, D. A., Gamst, A., & Jernigan, T. L. (2002). Development of cortical and subcortical brain structures in childhood and adolescence: a structural MRI study. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 44, 4–16.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Spriggs, D. A., French, J. M., Murdy, J. M., Curless, R. H., Bates, D., & James, O. F. (1992). Snoring increases the risk of stroke and adversely affects prognosis. Quarterly Journal of Medicine, 83, 555–562.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Steriade, M. (1994). Sleep oscillations and their blockage by activating systems. Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience, 19, 354–358.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Steriade, M. (1997). Synchronized activities of coupled oscillators in the cerebral cortex and thalamus at different levels of vigilance. Cerebral Cortex, 7, 583–604.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Steriade, M., Amzica, F., & Contreras, D. (1996). Synchronizaton of fast (30-40 Hz) spontaneous cortical rhythms during brain activation. The Journal of Neuroscience, 16, 392–417.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Steriade, M., Contreras, D., Curro, D. R., & Nunez, A. (1993a). The slow (< 1 Hz) oscillation in reticular thalamic and thalamocortical neurons: scenario of sleep rhythm generation in interacting thalamic and neocortical networks. The Journal of Neuroscience, 13, 3284–3299.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Steriade, M., Dossi, R. C., & Nunez, A. (1991). Network modulation of a slow intrinsic oscillation of cat thalamocortical neurons implicated in sleep delta waves: cortically induced synchronization and brainstem cholinergic suppression. The Journal of Neuroscience, 11, 3200–3217.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Steriade, M., McCormick, D. A., & Sejnowski, T. J. (1993b). Thalamocortical oscillations in the sleeping and aroused brain. Science, 262, 679–685.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Steriade, M., Nunez, A., & Amzica, F. (1993c). Intracellular analysis of relations between the slow (< 1 Hz) neocortical oscillation and other sleep rhythms of the electroencephalogram. The Journal of Neuroscience, 13, 3266–3283.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stocchi, F., Barbato, L., Nordera, G., Berardelli, A., & Ruggieri, S. (1998). Sleep disorders in Parkinson’s disease. Journal of Neurology, 245(Suppl 1), S15–S18.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Swift, C. G., & Tiplady, B. (1988). The effects of age on the response to caffeine. Psychopharmacology (Berl), 94, 29–31.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tononi, G., & Cirelli, C. (2003). Sleep and synaptic homeostasis: a hypothesis. Brain Research Bulletin, 62, 143–150.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Trotti, L. M. (2010). REM sleep behaviour disorder in older individuals: epidemiology, pathophysiology and management. Drugs & Aging, 27, 457–470.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Van Coevorden, A., Mockel, J., Laurent, E., Kerkhofs, M., L’Hermite-Balériaux, M., Decoster, C., et al. (1991). Neuroendocrine rhythms and sleep in aging men. The American Journal of Physiology, 260, E651–E661.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vitiello, M. V., Bliwise, D. L., & Prinz, P. N. (1992). Sleep in Alzheimer’s disease and the sundown syndrome. Neurology, 42, 83–93.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vitiello, M. V., Larsen, L. H., & Moe, K. E. (2004). Age-related sleep change: Gender and estrogen effects on the subjective-objective sleep quality relationships of healthy, noncomplaining older men and women. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 56, 503–510.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Walhovd, K. B., Westlye, L. T., Amlien, I., Espeseth, T., Reinvang, I., Raz, N. et al. (2009). Consistent neuroanatomical age-related volume differences across multiple samples. Neurobiology of Aging.

  • Webb, W. B. (1982). Sleep in older persons: sleep structures of 50- to 60-year-old men and women. Journal of Gerontology, 37, 581–586.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wei, H. G., Riel, E., Czeisler, C. A., & Dijk, D. J. (1999). Attenuated amplitude of circadian and sleep-dependent modulation of electroencephalographic sleep spindle characteristics in elderly human subjects. Neuroscience Letters, 260, 29–32.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weitzman, E. D., Moline, M. L., Czeisler, C. A., & Zimmerman, J. C. (1982). Chronobiology of aging: Temperature, sleep-wake rhythms and entrainment. Neurobiology of Aging, 3, 299–309.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wyatt, J. K., Ritz-De Cecco, A., Czeisler, C. A., & Dijk, D. J. (1999). Circadian temperature and melatonin rhythms, sleep, and neurobehavioral function in humans living on a 20-h day. American Journal of Physiology: Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 277, R1152–R1163.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yaggi, H. K., Concato, J., Kernan, W. N., Lichtman, J. H., Brass, L. M., & Mohsenin, V. (2005). Obstructive sleep apnea as a risk factor for stroke and death. The New England Journal of Medicine, 353, 2034–2041.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Young, T., Palta, M., Dempsey, J., Skatrud, J., Weber, S., & Badr, S. (1993). The occurrence of sleep-disordered breathing among middle-aged adults. The New England Journal of Medicine, 328, 1230–1235.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Young, T., Shahar, E., Nieto, F. J., Redline, S., Newman, A. B., Gottlieb, D. J., et al. (2002). Predictors of sleep-disordered breathing in community-dwelling adults: the sleep heart health study. Archives of Internal Medicine, 162, 893–900.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Youngstedt, S. D., Kripke, D. F., Klauber, M. R., Sepulveda, R. S., & Mason, W. J. (1998). Periodic leg movements during sleep and sleep disturbances in elders. Journal of Gerontology, 53A, M391–M394.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zeitzer, J. M., Daniels, J. E., Duffy, J. F., Klerman, E. B., Shanahan, T. L., Dijk, D. J., et al. (1999). Do plasma melatonin concentrations decline with age? The American Journal of Medicine, 107, 432–436.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zepelin, H., McDonald, C. S., & Zammit, G. K. (1984). Effects of age on auditory awakening thresholds. Journal of Gerontology, 39, 294–300.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zoccolella, S., Savarese, M., Lamberti, P., Manni, R., Pacchetti, C., & Logroscino, G. (2010) Sleep disorders and the natural history of Parkinson’s disease: The contribution of epidemiological studies. Sleep Med Rev, Jul 13.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Kate Crowley

  2. Division of Sleep Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 221 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA, 02115-5817, USA

    Kate Crowley

Authors
  1. Kate Crowley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kate Crowley.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Crowley, K. Sleep and Sleep Disorders in Older Adults. Neuropsychol Rev 21, 41–53 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-010-9154-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-010-9154-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation