Sleep and Ageing Flashcards
What percentage of 65+ year old community dwelling adults report difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep?
42%
What are common complaints about sleep from the elderly?
- difficulty initiating sleep
- disrupted sleep
- early morning awakenings
- non-restorative sleep
What is sleep?
A reversible behavioural state of perceptual disengagement from and unresponsiveness to the environment.
What physiological parameters changes are associated with sleep?
- Electroencephaelogram (EEG): brain waves
- Electroculogram (EOG): eye movements
- Electromyogram (EMG): muscle tension
How do brain waves change with sleep? How does it compare to being awake?
Awake: alpha rhythm Stage 1 (drowsiness): alpha rhythm gone, slower waves, no spindles or K complexes Stage 2 (light sleep): :-complexes, sleep spindles Stage 3 (deep sleep): large, slow delta waves
What is a polysomnogram?
The simultaneous recording of multiple physiological variables related to sleep.
What is usually recorded during a polysomnogram?
- EEG
- EOG
- EMG (chin, leg, respiration)
- ECG
- Airflow
- Respiratory effort
- SpO2
What variables are measured during a home sleep study?
- EEG
- EOG
- ECG
- Position
- Breathing movements (RIP)
- Breathing (airflow)
- Oxygen level
- Leg movements (Pizeo-eletric)
How does total sleep time change with ageing?
Decreases
What happens to sleep latency with ageing?
Remains unchanged
What happens to sleep efficiency with ageing?
Decreases
How do the sleep stages change with ageing?
Increase in stage 1 and 2,
What percentage of your total sleep is made up by REM sleep?
20-25%
Does slow wave sleep (Stage 3+) decrease or increase with age?
Decreases
What factors influence the amount of sleep needed by an individual?
- Sleepiness
- Mood alteration
- Cognitive function
- Immune function
What is process is driven my sleep deprivation?
Homeostatic drive
What is involved in the two process model of sleep regulation?
- Sleep-wake cycle
- Circadian cycle
What controls the circadian rhythm?
Exposure to sunlight
What can suppress the circadian rhythm?
Artificial lights e.g. mobiles phones, laptops
What hormone is released…
Melatonin
What causes a decrease in melatonin levels as we age? What affect does this have on sleep?
Deterioration in the suprachiasmatic nuclei.
Decreases sleep homeostasis (drive to sleep)
What are zeitgebers?
External or environmental cues that entrains or synchronises our Circadian cycle