Sleep and Health.
In
the 2003 poll, NSF profiled the sleep patterns and sleep complaints of
1,506 older Americans. About two-thirds of older adults (67%) report
experiencing one or more of the following symptoms of a sleep problem at
least a few nights a week:
In
spite of the abundance of these sleep complaints, only a small fraction
(one out of eight) say that they have been diagnosed with a sleep disorder
and fewer are treated. When
NSF also asked respondents to rate their health, those who rate their
health as good to excellent are less likely to report a sleep problem than
those who say their health is fair to poor (59% vs. 85%). For
instance, those who report having excellent or very good health are less
likely to sleep less than six hours than those who describe their health
as fair or poor (11% vs. 22%). Similar
findings occurred when health assessments were compared to symptoms of
sleep disorders. For instance, among those who rate their health as
excellent or very good, 38% say they have one or more symptoms of
insomnia, but nearly double (71%) have such symptoms if they report their
health as fair or poor. Similar patterns occurred for all reported
symptoms of sleep disorders such as those associated with sleep apnea or
restless legs syndrome: those who report better health report fewer
symptoms of sleep disorders. NSF
also asked respondents if they had been told by a doctor that they have
any one of 11 common medical conditions, including high blood pressure,
heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis, lung disease, cancer,
depression, memory problems, enlarged prostate and osteoporosis. The
number of reported medical conditions increases with age, but 19% of all
respondents reported having four or more conditions. When compared to
those who have no medical conditions, those with four or more conditions
have a greater likelihood of sleeping less than six hours (22% vs. 10%),
are more likely to rate their sleep as fair or poor (40% vs. 10%), are
more likely to report a sleep problem (80% vs. 53%) and are more likely to
experience daytime sleepiness (27% vs. 5%). Often
such signs of sleepiness and sleep problems have been assumed to result
from the medical condition that is being treated. But the poll data
suggest that many older Americans who have been diagnosed with a variety
of medical conditions may be suffering as much or more from poor sleep. NSF
also questioned respondents about their mood, outlook on life, cognitive
function, social involvement, exercise frequency, and financial security.
In general, those who assess themselves positively in these areas—people
like Nan Jansen—also are more likely to sleep seven to nine hours each
night, rate their sleep quality as excellent or very good, and report
fewer sleep problems and diagnoses of a sleep disorder. So,
what does the Sleep in America poll tell us about the connection between
sleep, health and aging? "We reaffirm what we know from the
epidemiology of aging that there is a very strong correlation between
common medical conditions and a predisposition to sleep
disturbances," says Daniel Foley, an epidemiologist at the
National Institute on Aging who assisted NSF with the 2003 Sleep in
America poll. "A person may have several medical conditions that
they're seeing their doctor about and they may be getting treatment, but
they don't feel they're getting better. What may go unrecognized is a
tremendous amount of sleep disturbance and daytime sleepiness. What may go
overlooked is a major sleep disorder that may be complicating treatment of
the other conditions. "The
poll results show we need to educate the public and healthcare
professionals about the connection between sleep, health and aging." The poll was conducted by WB&A Market Research. This
article on sleep & others can be found at . |
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