To maintain an optimal quality of life, older adults must
experience quality sleep that restores both body and mind.
Yet changes in the character of sleep that occur with aging
alter usual sleep patterns, can result in daytime sleepiness
that interferes with daily activities, and may signal a sleep
disorder that could profoundly affect a person’s ability to
function. To provide effective care, health care providers
must understand sleep pattern changes that are a part of
normal aging and distinguish them from changes that
occur with advancing or symptomatic illness and those
that reflect serious sleep disorders.