Management of Late-life Insomnia

Abstract

Introduction

Insomnia is the most frequent sleep disorder in late life. Forty-two percent of elderly people in the United States often complain about difficulties to get or maintain sleep, or awakening too early. Insomnia is frequent in old people greatly due to frequency of concomitant medical illnesses and polypharmacy, rather than because of age.

Objectives

The objective of our research was to revise the current state of knowledge about management of insomnia in people above 65 years of age.

Methodology

For that, a bibliographical search through PubMed.gov has been made. From the obtained results, the 14 which best suited for our goals were selected, 10 of them dealing with people above 65 years and the rest with people above 75 or 80 years of age.

Results

Based on the literature reviewed, the current options of management of late-life insomnia are based on behavioral or pharmacological therapy. The combination of behavioral therapies shows results and is currently considered as an option, especially given the possibility of medicine interaction and the secondary effects hypnotic and sedative medicines might produce. There is a paucity of long-term safety and efficacy data for the use of non-benzodiazepine sedative-hypnotics. There are no criteria for the use of antidepressant sedatives in elderly people without diagnosed depression, although they are still used in practice.

Conclusion

Possibility of using behavioral therapy as first option. In case of polymedicated or multi-pathological patients, pay special attention when starting a pharmacological treatment, choose the most suitable one and supervise it closely.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.