Insomnia in the elderly : Prevalence, gender differences and relationships with morbidity and mortality

Brabbins, Clare; Dewey, Michael; Copeland, J. R. M.; Davidson, Ian A.; McWilliam, C.; Saunders, Paul A.; Sharma, Vimal; Sullivan, Caroline

doi:10.1002/gps.930080604

Cited by 135 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 23 publications

(24 reference statements)

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“…Contrary to former studies (Brabbins et al, 1993) gender difference did not emerge, except for total sleep time where men reported longer total sleep time than women. Why the expected gender difference did not reveal itself in this study is unclear.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

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Perception of sleep in the elderly

Pallesen¹,

Nordhus²,

Nielsen³

2009

Nor J Epidemiol

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Background: Discrepancies between objectively and subjectively measured sleep variables make diagnosing insomnia in the elderly difficult. Also relevant to diagnosing insomnia in the elderly are expectations about sleep, gender and use of sedative-hypnotic medication. The present study focuses on how these variables relate to insomnia and sleep satisfaction. Method: A questionnaire focusing on the subjective experience of sleep was administered to 116 older (60 years and above) visitors at 4 senior centres in Bergen, Norway. Results: For those generally satisfied with their sleep, mean sleep onset latency was 37 minutes and mean wake after sleep onset was 38 minutes. It was further demonstrated that 59.2% of the sample had unrealistic positive expectations (did not expect worsening of sleep with age) regarding sleep in old age. Those using sedative-hypnotic medication (23.3%) were less satisfied with their sleep and felt less refreshed during the day than non-users. Contrary to most studies, no general gender differences in perception of sleep was revealed. The only exception was total sleep time where men reported more sleep than women (6.78 vs. 6.15 hours) per day. Conclusion:The results cast doubts about the usefulness of the common criteria (30 minutes sleep onset latency and wake after sleep onset) used in clinical contexts to diagnose insomnia. Unrealistic positive expectations about sleep changes with age can lower the threshold for complaining and thus contribute to dissatisfaction and worry about sleep. Sedative-hypnotic drugs did seem to have limited benefit for the participants in this study.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…Another variable related to complaints of sleep difficulties is gender. Studies have shown that women complain of insomnia more often than men (Brabbins et al, 1993), despite lack of corresponding differences in objective sleep measures like polysomnography (Hoch et al, 1987).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perception of sleep in the elderly

Pallesen¹,

Nordhus²,

Nielsen³

2009

Nor J Epidemiol

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“…A randomly selected sample of 1228 elderly inhabitants, 65-79 years, in the county of Dalarna in Sweden were asked to participate in a questionnaire survey. 4. Questions adopted from the Uppsala Sleep Inventory (USI) (13-15) concerning the severity of various sleeping difficulties on a five-point 1.…”

Section: Subjectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Survey of Sleep Habits and Sleeping Difficulties in an Elderly Swedish Population

Mallon¹,

Hetta²

1997

Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences

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A random sample of 876 subjects aged 65-79 years were investigated by means of a questionnaire concerning sleep and related factors. Sleep problems were reported by 23.8% of females and 13.3% of males.Moderate or major complaints of maintaining sleep were reported by 43.5% of subjects, early morning awakening 33.4% and difficulties falling asleep 31.4%. Daytime sleepiness was more common among males, and a relationship between daytime sleepiness and perceived poor sleep was found. Daytime napping was common, but not related to poor sleep. The prevalence of regular sleeping pill users was 7.6% for females and 3.0% for males and a relationship between sleep problems, sleeping pill usage and psychiatric symptoms was established. Among the regular sleeping pill users 39.1% had possible depression (PD) and 63.0% had possible anxiety disorder (PA). Among respondents with sleep complaints 29.8% had PD and 48.7% had PA. Sleep problems were also related to impaired physical health. Various medical illnesses contributed to sleep complaints among males, and depression affected sleep the most among females.

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“…People who experience too much or too little REM sleep, for example, tend to be at greater risk for ill-health. Increased REM sleep durations (relative to the population norm) are significantly associated with increased risk for various medical conditions and for mortality (Brabbins IJGP 1993) [8] (Dew PM 2003) [9] (Kripke PM 2003) [10] (Elgar AB 1988) [11]. The increased risk for these 'co-morbidities' remains even after adjusting for age, gender, mental illness and 'medical burden' or physical health status (Brabbins IJGP 1993) [8] (Dew PM 2003) [9] (Kripke PM 2003) [10].…”

Section: Validity Of Sleep Quotas In Comparative Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Phylogeny of Sleep Database: A New Resource for Sleep Scientists

Capellini¹,

Harris²,

Nunn³

et al. 2007

TOSLPJ

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We have constructed a database that describes the sleeping characteristics of 127 different mammalian species representing 46 families across 17 orders. The data were extracted from 178 separate references that were found using standardized search protocols, and for each study includes information on the time spent in REM and NREM sleep, sleep cycle length, the number of animals sampled, their sex and age, and reference citation. Importantly, we also coded nine laboratory condition scores as a way to control for the procedures that were used to collect the data. We created a website that contains the database (http://www.bu.edu/phylogeny/) from which others can both download the data and submit new results. This database is being used to address fundamental questions concerning the evolution of mammalian sleep; similar databases on other groups of organisms will enable sleep biologists to understand patterns of sleep at broader phylogenetic scales.

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Insomnia in the elderly : Prevalence, gender differences and relationships with morbidity and mortality

Cited by 135 publications

References 23 publications

Perception of sleep in the elderly

Perception of sleep in the elderly

A Survey of Sleep Habits and Sleeping Difficulties in an Elderly Swedish Population

The Phylogeny of Sleep Database: A New Resource for Sleep Scientists

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