For many adults, changes in sleep occur with aging. An estimated 15 million elderly, or 50% of older Americans, experience some sleep problem. The elderly complain that their sleep is more fragmented and that as they have gotten older, they experience more daytime sleepiness. Laboratory studies have confirmed these complaints. Research has shown that it is not the need for sleep that decreases with age, but rather the ability to sleep. Circadian rhythm disturbances, sleep disorders such as sleep disordered breathing and periodic movements in sleep, medical illness, medication use, and impaired cognitive functioning all contribute to poor sleep and decreased daytime alertness. In institutionalized elderly, sleep is even more disturbed and disrupted. With careful assessment, many of these problems can be addressed and treated, and sometimes cured.

中文翻译：

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识别和治疗老年人的睡眠问题。

对于许多成年人来说，睡眠随着年龄的增长而发生变化。估计有1500万老年人（占美国老年人的50％）遇到一些睡眠问题。老人抱怨说他们的睡眠更加分散，而且随着年龄的增长，他们白天会有更多的嗜睡。实验室研究证实了这些抱怨。研究表明，随着年龄的增长，并不是睡眠需求下降，而是睡眠能力下降。昼夜节律紊乱，睡眠障碍（如睡眠呼吸障碍和睡眠中的周期性运动），内科疾病，药物使用以及认知功能受损，均会导致睡眠不足和白天的警觉性下降。在制度化的老年人中，睡眠会更加受干扰和干扰。通过仔细评估，可以解决和处理许多此类问题，有时甚至可以解决。