Diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders in older adults

Sonia Ancoli-Israel, Liat Ayalon

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

159 Scopus citations

Abstract

Among the most common complaints of older adults are difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep. These problems result in insufficient sleep at night, which then results in an increased risk of falls, difficulty with concentration and memory, and overall decreased quality of life. Difficulties sleeping, however, are not an inevitable part of aging. Rather, these sleep complaints are often secondary to medical and psychiatric illness, the medications used to treat these illnesses, circadian rhythm changes, or other sleep disorders. The task for the geriatric psychiatrist is to identify the causes of these complaints and then initiate appropriate treatment.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)95-103
Number of pages9
JournalAmerican Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
Volume14
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2006

Keywords

  • Aging
  • Insomnia
  • Sleep apnea
  • Sleep disorders

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