Sleep
disturbances among the elderly linked to suicide
WESTCHESTER, Ill. – Self-reported sleep
complaints among the elderly serve as a risk
factor for completed suicide, according to a
research abstract that will be presented
Thursday at SLEEP 2007, the 21st Annual Meeting
of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).
The study, conducted by Rebecca Bernert of
Florida State University, focused on data that
were collected among 14,456 community elders
over a 10-year period. During this time frame,
21 individuals died by suicide. When each
suicide was matched to 20 randomly-selected
controls, it was discovered that disturbances in
sleep, independent of depression, predicted an
increased risk for eventual death by suicide.
"This suggests that, as a warning sign, poor
sleep quality constitutes a significant and
modifiable risk factor for completed suicide,"
said Bernert. "Evaluating sleep among at-risk
patients may therefore guide and importantly
inform both clinical decision-making and suicide
risk assessment."
It is recommended that older adults get seven to
eight hours of sleep each night for good health
and optimum performance. Unfortunately, many
older adults often get less sleep than they
need. One reason is that they often have more
trouble falling asleep.
Not sleeping well can lead to a number of
problems. Older adults who have poor nighttime
sleep are more likely to have a depressed mood,
attention and memory problems, excessive daytime
sleepiness, more nighttime falls, and use more
over-the-counter or prescription sleep aids.
Poor sleep is also associated with a poorer
quality of life. Insomnia, the most common sleep
complaint, affects almost half of adults 60 and
older.
Those who think they might have a sleep disorder
are encouraged to consult with their primary
care physician, who will refer them to a sleep
specialist.
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The annual SLEEP meeting brings together an
international body of 5,000 leading
researchers and clinicians in the field of
sleep medicine to present and discuss new
findings and medical developments related to
sleep and sleep disorders.
More than 1,000 research abstracts will be presented at the
SLEEP meeting, a joint venture of the American
Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research
Society. The four-day scientific meeting will
bring to light new findings that enhance the
understanding of the processes of sleep and aid
the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders
such as insomnia, narcolepsy and sleep apnea
