Sleeping problems in the elderly may involve a number of factors such as: decreased energy output as a result of retirement,the age of the person, their state of health, and any prescription drugs they may be taking for health problems.
Illness disrupts sleeping patterns in the elderly, and may result in increased awakenings due to physical discomfort caused by: urinary urgency, cramps, angina, chronic obstructive airways disease, and left ventricular failure, these may be only some of the many illnesses which cause sleeping problems in the elderly.
An elderly person may become very anxious about any change in their sleeping pattern, however, it will be necessary to thoroughly investigate the problem, in order to ascertain if this perceived sleeping problem causes dysfunction in their waking activities. If the elderly person has a carer, or lives with family, then the problem may be easier to assess, for what appears to be a problem may only be a normal change in sleeping pattern for the age.
