Older Men Living at Home Survive Longer with
Undisturbed Sleep and 'Robust Rhythms'
Regular sleep routine to bed and up at regular
times means good health for senior men
June
11, 2008 Lack of sleep can lead to a number of problems in senior
citizens including depression, memory problems, and decreased
attentiveness. It also can lead to serious health problems such as an
increased risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. No
wonder new research has also found it also leads to an earlier death for
older men living at home.
This University of Minnesota study claims to be the
first to report strong associations between disturbed rest and activity
rhythms and mortality rates in older men, who are still living in their
homes (not institutionalized) however, studies in cancer patients as
well as institutionalized Alzheimer's patients have reported similar
findings.
Robust Rhythms
Another key study finding is that men with more
robust rest/activity rhythms had much lower mortality rates. Having
greater levels of activity during the day and/or lower levels of
activity during the night (better sleep quality) are characteristics of
robust rhythms.
"It's important to have a regular routine of waking
and going to sleep," said Misti Paudel, M.P.H., principal investigator
of the study and a member of the School of Public Health.
"Waking early, staying up late, and severely
disturbed sleep patterns may have a detrimental impact on health in
older men, especially since this group was generally in good health. A
good night sleep is important."
"From a sleep standpoint, getting a good night's
sleep appears to be important factor for health and longevity for people
of all ages, and especially for older adults where complaints of
insomnia and other sleep disturbances are much more common than in
younger cohorts," she said.
"It is important that anyone who has
concerns about their sleep quality should consult their physician."
A group of about 3,000 men older than 67, were
tested for rest and activity biological rhythms via a wrist device
called an actigraph.
The device tracked participants' movement,
including the peak times of rest and activity, as well as the robustness
of the activity for 24 hours a day for an average of about a week
between Dec. 2003 and March 2005.
As of January 2008, there were 180 deaths in the
group, and men who had peak activity times that were the earliest or
latest, in comparison with the groups' average, had a much greater risk
of death.
Paudel will be presenting information from the
study during the Associated Professional Sleep Societies Conference
today in Baltimore, MD.
Future research should examine association with
specific causes of death and with health related outcomes, Paudel said.
The study was funded by the National Institute on
Aging.
June
11, 2008 Lack of sleep can lead to a number of problems in senior
citizens including depression, memory problems, and decreased
attentiveness. It also can lead to serious health problems such as an
increased risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. No
wonder new research has also found it also leads to an earlier death for
older men living at home.