Abstract
Sleeping problems constitute one of the most frequently voiced complaints in the elderly. Patients commonly complain about insomnia (i.e., the problem of either falling asleep or sleeping through the night). While increased need for sleep and abnormal daytime sleepiness are frequent phenomena in older people, patients themselves rarely consider this a relevant problem. The present chapter focuses on insomnia, the most important and frequent sleep disorder in the elderly.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Ancoli-Israel S, Cooke JR (2005) Prevalence and comorbidity of insomnia and effect on functioning in elderly populations. J Am Geriatr Soc 53:S264–S271
Ancoli-Israel S, Krystal AD, McCall MV et al (2010) The effect of eszopiclone 2 mg on sleep/wake function in older adults with primary and comorbid insomnia. Sleep 33:225–234
Bloom HG, Ahmed I, Alessi CA et al (2009) Evidence-based recommendations for the assessment and management of sleep disorders in older persons. J Am Geriatr Soc 57:761–789
Culberson JW, Ziska M (2008) Prescription drug misuse/abuse in the elderly. Geriatrics 63:22–31
Dolder C, Nelson M, McKinsey J (2007) Use of non-benzodiazepine hypnotics in the elderly: are all agents the same? CNS Drugs 21:389–405
Dundar Y, Dodd S, Strobl J et al (2004) Comparative efficacy of newer hypnotic drugs for the short-term management of insomnia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Hum Psychopharmacol 19:305–322
Erman MK (2005) Therapeutic options in the treatment of insomnia. J Clin Psychiatry 66(Suppl 9):18–23
Flaherty JH (2008) Insomnia among hospitalized older persons. Clin Geriatr Med 24:51–67
Foley DJ, Monjan A, Simonsick EM et al (1999) Incidence and remission of insomnia among elderly adults: an epidemiologic study of 6,800 persons over three years. Sleep 22(Suppl 2):S366–S372
Glass J, Kl L, Herrmann N et al (2005) Sedative hypnotics in older people with insomnia: meta-analysis of risks and benefits. BMJ 331:1169
Hair PI, McCormack PL, Curran MP (2008) Eszopiclone. A review of its use in the treatment of insomnia. Drugs 68:1415–1434
Kripke DF (2007) Greater incidence of depression with hypnotic use than with placebo. BMC Psychiatry 7:42
Kupfer DJ, Reynolds CF 3rd (1997) Management of insomnia. N Engl J Med 336:341–346
Melton ST, Wood JM, Kirkwood CK (2005) Eszopiclone for insomnia. Ann Pharmacother 39:1659–1666
Svarstad BL, Mount JK (2001) Chronic benzodiazepine use in nursing homes: effects of federal guidelines, resident mix, and nurse staffing. J Am Geriatr Soc 49:1673–1678
Vaz Fragoso CA, Gill TM (2007) Sleep complaints in community-living older persons: a multifactorial geriatric syndrome. J Am Geriatr Soc 55:1853–1866
Wolkove N, Elkholy O, Baltzan M et al (2007) Sleep and aging: 1. Sleep disorders commonly found in older people. CMAJ 176:1299–1304
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer-Verlag Wien
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Schwarz, S., Frölich, L. (2013). Sleep Disorders. In: Wehling, M. (eds) Drug Therapy for the Elderly. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-0912-0_17
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-0912-0_17
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Vienna
Print ISBN: 978-3-7091-0911-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-7091-0912-0
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)