Better ‘shut-eye’ as you age
We’ve heard how the older we get, the more sleep problems we may experience. However, new research dispels rumours, showing getting older is unlikely to affect our quality of sleep, in fact, it could improve it. Dr Michael Grandner, lead author of the study, explains how the results “force us to rethink what we know about sleep in older people”.
We’ve heard how the older we get, the more sleep problems we may experience. However, new research dispels rumours, showing getting older is unlikely to affect our quality of sleep, in fact, it could improve it.
Dr Michael Grandner, lead author of the study which appeared in the journal Sleep last week, explains how the results “force us to rethink what we know about sleep in older people”.
Researcher at the Perlman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr Grander examined the sleep patterns of more than 155,000 adults via a telephone survey.
Participants were asked about their quality of sleep and how tired they felt. Researchers found sleep quality was highest among those aged over 80 years of age and the worst shut-eye was experienced by participants aged between 40 and 59 years.
While women were more likely to report disturbed sleep than men, Dr Grandner admits the results do not yet indicate whether people are getting better sleep, but rather their perception of sleep and alertness improves.
According to Dr Grandner, the results suggest older people with sleep problems may have another underlying condition such as depression.
A similar study conducted at Adelaide’s Flinders University in 2010 by Professor Leon Lack, who is head of the Sleep Research Laboratory, reveals as people age, they are more likely to have broken periods of sleep, but feel less tired during the day.
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