Some older people complain of difficulty falling asleep, early
morning awakenings, frequent and long awakenings during the
night, daytime sleepiness, and a lack of refreshing sleep. Many sleep
problems, however, are not a natural part of
sleep in the elderly. Their sleep complaints
may be due, in part, to medical conditions,
illnesses, or medications they are taking—
all of which can disrupt sleep. In fact, one
study found that the prevalence of sleep
problems is very low in healthy older adults.
Other causes of some of older adults’
sleep complaints are sleep apnea, restless
legs syndrome, and other sleep disorders
that become more common with age.
Also, older people are more likely to
have their sleep disrupted by the need
to urinate during the night.