A new study has found that older adults who frequently experience insomnia symptoms or use sleep medications are at a significantly higher risk of developing disabilities that affect their daily activities.
The research, published in the journal Sleep, and conducted by scientists at Penn State College of Health and Human Development and Taipei Medical University, analysed five years of data from over 6,700 older adults and found that both increased insomnia symptoms and higher frequency of sleep medication use were linked to greater disability one year later.
The researchers used data from the National Health and Ageing Trends Study (NHATS), which includes a nationally representative sample of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older. They used more than 22,000 individual observations collected from 2011 to 2015. Participants’ levels of disability were measured using a validated questionnaire that covered self-care activities like dressing and eating, and mobility tasks like getting out of bed and moving around outdoors.
“For every level of increase in the frequency of reported insomnia symptoms, the disability score was on average 0.2 higher the next year. For every level of increase in the frequency of reported sleep medication use, the disability score was on average 0.19 higher the next year,” the researchers reported.
The lead author, Tuo-Yu Chen, explained that older adults who increased their sleep medication use from “never” to “every night” over five years would likely develop a clinically significant disability. “On an individual level, we cannot predict risk so specifically, but if an older adult has prolonged sleep problems and/or sleep-medication use over time, they are likely to become disabled,” he said.
Co-author, Orfeu Buxton, added that when they evaluated the relationships between disability, insomnia and sleep medication use, the result showed that older people who used more sleep medication or experienced more insomnia symptoms moved more rapidly towards greater disability.
Previous research by the same team had shown that sleep medications increase the risk of falling in older adults. Buxton noted that this might explain why sleep medication use was linked to higher disability levels.
Another co-author of the study, Soomi Lee, emphasised the importance of managing insomnia without relying on medication. “Insomnia can decrease a person’s quality of life both directly and indirectly. Any older adult who experiences insomnia or uses sleep medication needs to talk to their physician about sleep,” Lee said.She added that physicians could help by reviewing patients’ medications to avoid drug interactions and by connecting them to safer treatments.
“Cognitive behavioural therapy, which helps people identify and modify thought or behaviour patterns, is a safe and effective treatment for insomnia,” she added.
Lee also pointed out that many older adults believe sleep problems are just part of ageing and do not seek help. “Many older adults think sleep disruptions are a natural part of ageing, but they are a real problem that must be addressed.
“That problem is unlikely to improve unless people talk to their doctors. There are not enough sleep clinics, especially in rural areas, so older people may need to advocate for themselves to get proper treatment,” she said.
