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SleepSleep Problems Plague the Older SetFriday, November 23, 2007— As part of the The Gerontological Society of America's 60th Annual Scientific Meeting, ILC-USA Senior Associate Harrison Bloom, M.D. led a symposium entitled "Sleep Disorders and Aging in Context: Should Sleep be a Vital Sign?" The lecture undertook to:
The symposium consequently generated an article, "Sleep Problems Plague the Older Set" by Karen Pallarito, that received generous coverage in popular media outlets such as Forbes.com, MSN, AOL, U.S. New & World Report, and iVillage. The article makes note of a recent study in The American Journal of Medicine that found that more than half of older Americans have problems getting the shuteye they need. The epidemic seems to be caused at least in part by "sleep fragmentation," or waking up frequently during the night, as well as a reduction in the amount of REM sleep. "The reason we're concerned with these [problems], besides a major issue on quality of life and being tired the next day and not functioning properly, is that these sleep disorders are associated with hypertension, diabetes, pulmonary disease, heart disease, depression and anxiety," ~Harrison Bloom, M.D..
Dr. Bloom serves as chairman of a new national coalition of aging, geriatric medicine and sleep organizations which is currently developing guidelines to promote prevention, diagnosis and treatment of sleep problems in older adults. The National Coalition for Sleep Disorders in Older People expects to publish its recommendations by mid-2008. To read the article, or browse the full array of ILC-USA sleep publications, click on our Related Links, below. Back
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