Popular medicine insomnia can increase the risk of disability: Study

ZZZ is the day, but do it naturally!

The elderly should target seven to nine hours Shuteye one night – unfortunately, research shows that many struggle to fall and/or stay asleep.

Insomnia has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, mental health problems, cognitive decline and even accidents.

A new study reports that the elderly with insomnia also face higher chances of disability – and that risk continues even if they take medication to try to sleep more.

“We found that while the elderly used more sleep medication or experienced more insomnia symptoms, they moved faster towards greater incompetence,” said study co -author Orpheu Buxton, a Penn State biobiorial professor.

The Buxton team analyzed five years of sleep and disability data from over 6,700 people over 65. The elderly completed a questionnaire for activities such as clothing, eating, toilet and shower use.

They also detailed their ability to get out of bed, move around the house and go out.

Researchers, from Penn State and Taipei Medical University in Taiwan, calculated the results of the activity that reflected whether the participants could complete their tasks or if they needed assistance or accommodation.

Symptoms of insomnia and the use of sleep medication were based on five levels of frequency – never, once a week, some nights, most nights and every night.

Level every level of increasing frequency of insomnia symptoms and the frequency of using sleep medication implies that the risk of becoming disabled in some way increased by 20%.

“These results show that both insomnia and use of sleep drugs can contribute to disability,” said the author of my main Tuo-Yu study Chen, a professor of Taipei Medical.

“As an average example, these numbers suggest that an elderly adult who increased the use of sleeping medicines from” never “to” every night “over five years will likely develop an important clinical disability,” Chen explained.

“At an individual level, we cannot predict the risk so specifically, but if an elderly adult has prolonged sleep problems and/or use of sleep treatment over time, they will most likely become disabled.”

The team suspects that falls are a major reason why sleep medications were associated with higher levels of disability. In addition to drowsiness, these pills can cause impaired dizziness and coordination.

Their findings were published last week in Sleep magazine.

The study’s authors suggest that the elderly suffering from insomnia talk to their doctor to make sure their medicines are not causing casting and return.

And before they get a sleep help, they should consider cognitive behavioral therapy, which can help identify and address thoughts, feelings and behaviors that contribute to poor sleep.