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Sleep in care homes

Gordon, Adam; Gladman, John R.F.

Authors

ADAM GORDON Adam.Gordon@nottingham.ac.uk
Professor of The Care of Older People

John R.F. Gladman



Abstract

Sleep problems in older adults are common and disturbance in sleep is associated with increased mortality. These problems are more pronounced in the care home population because of institutional factors and a high prevalence of frailty and comorbidity. This article reviews the randomized controlled trials undertaken to address sleep problems in care homes. These suggest that standalone therapies – oral melatonin and light therapy – have no effect on sleep but that combination treatments – physical exercise plus sleep hygiene, physical exercise plus sleep hygiene plus light and melatonin plus light – may have positive effects. These effects are more marked for daytime arousal than nocturnal sleep. Practical considerations for care homes are how to maximise light exposure, incorporate exercise into daily routines and minimize night-time disruption for residents. Trials undertaken so far are compromised by small sample size and inappropriate randomization strategies and further research is therefore required.

Citation

Gordon, A., & Gladman, J. R. Sleep in care homes. Reviews in Clinical Gerontology, 20(4),

Journal Article Type Article
Deposit Date Jun 22, 2010
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Reviews in Clinical Gerontology
Print ISSN 0959-2598
Electronic ISSN 0959-2598
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Peer Reviewed Not Peer Reviewed
Volume 20
Issue 4
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1012662
Publisher URL http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=RCG

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