Ed Note: We spend a third of our lives sleeping, or at least trying to sleep. It’s mysterious just why, but dangerous if we don’t sleep well. The second part of this article will be put on the blog tomorrow. Also on July 25th Dr. Peters-Mathews will speak at Skyline. A specialist in Neurology and Sleep Medicine, he has special training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – the most effective treatment for insomnia.
How did you sleep last night? If you’re over 65, I hope it was better than many others your age. In a study by the National Institute on Aging of over 9,000 Americans aged 65 and older, more than half said they had difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Many others who believe they spend an adequate number of hours asleep nonetheless complain of not feeling rested when they get up.
Chronic insomnia, which affects 5 percent to 10 percent of older adults, is more than just exhausting. It’s also linked to an increased risk of developing hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, heart attack, depression, anxiety and premature death.
It may also be a risk factor for dementia, especially Alzheimer’s disease.
Studies based on more than 1,700 men and women followed over many years by researchers at Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine found that the risk of developing hypertension was five times greater among those who slept less than five hours a night and three and a half times greater for those who slept between five and six hours. But there was no increased risk among those who regularly slept six or more hours. Likewise, the risk of developing diabetes was three times greater for the shortest sleepers and twice as great for those who slept between five and six hours.