Common causes of insomnia in the elderly include pain due to arthritis or leg cramps, dyspnoea due to cardiovascular or respiratory disease, nocturia due to benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) or caffeine ingestion, reflux due to GORD or depression/anxiety. Medications such as salbutamol, diuretics, anticholinesterases, SSRI antidepressants, beta blockers, and corticosteroids may also be implicated. Environmental factors such as intrusive noise or light may be a problem for those in residential care. The elderly are also more likely to take daytime naps which may disturb sleep at night. The patient’s beliefs about sleep and their own sleep problem may also provide useful information.
This article could also be looked read looking at a wider patient group in mind such as those with a chronic disease as intimated above.
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For more information on drug therapy in the elderly visit Pharmamotion’s post Pharmacology in the elderly: pharmacokinetics, polypharmacy and related topics for a collection of video and slide shows by health professionals around the world
The 2009 RGH E-Bulletins are archived by topic here.
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