What Causes Sleep Problems in Older People?

Senior citizens.  Old age pensioners.  Geezers.  No matter what you call them (to their faces or behind their backs), they tend to have sleep problems.  These problems are different from not needing so much sleep as when younger.  Needing less sleep (only 6 - 7 hours) is a normal sign of aging.  Needing to take a nap during the day is also normal.

The two main causes of sleep problems in older people is through illnesses or as a result of sudden change.  The good news is that many illnesses are treatable and the effects of sudden changes tend to fade away over time.  Still, people suffering from a sudden change should contact their doctors about this change in their normal sleep patterns.

Illnesses that cause sleep difficulties include:

• Arthritis
• Chronic back pain conditions like spinal stenosis
• Restless leg syndrome
• Overactive bladder
• Enlarged prostate
• Depression
• Parkinson's disease
• Dementia, including Alzheimer's disease.

Sudden changes that can cause sleep problems in senior citizens include:

• Changes in medications, including taking a new medication or purposely taking too much medication
• Death of a loved one
• Loss of job or retirement
• Excessive alcohol use
• Drug abuse
• Change in the room where the person is trying to sleep, such as a sudden noise
• Moving, including moving from a home to a nursing care facility.

Image of elderly man in nursing home by Thomas Bjorkan for Wikimedia Commons.