title: [Sleep disorders in older adults].
abstract: Sleep is an essential physiological process with restorative functions. It is reported that the prevalence of chronic sleep-related complaints in older adults is over 50%, which is higher than that in younger adults. The etiology of sleep disorders in older adults is considered to be multifactorial, consisting of normal age-related changes(e.g., sleep fragmentation, earlier awakening, and decreased slow wave sleep), medical or psychiatric diseases (e.g., lifestyle-related diseases, dementia, delirium, and depression), primary age-related sleep disorders(e.g., sleep-related breathing disorders and periodic limb movement disorders), or a combination of these factors. Because sleep disorders in older adults may have implications for quality of life, it is crucial to distinguish normal age-related sleep changes from those originating from pathological processes. This mini-review discusses crucial points in the diagnosis and management of sleep disorders in older adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, School of Medicine, Asahikawa Medical University.
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chiba
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology