Dreaming of a good night’s sleep in retirement?
Thursday 24 July 2008
Many people in their working life dream of retirement and the chance to have a good night’s sleep and perhaps even a lie-in whenever they want. But, on retirement they may find that this is indeed just a dream as their sleep can actually become more and more disturbed. For this reason Katharina Lederle, a Marie Curie Research Fellow, and Dr. Samantha Hopkins, both from the Centre for Chronobiology at the University of Surrey, are looking to recruit people over the age of 60 who have problems sleeping to see if exposure to light can help improve sleep in their homes.
In humans there is a body clock or circadian system that is involved in controlling the sleep-wake cycle. Light is essential to ensure that our internal body clock is synchronised with the 24-hour day and this is achieved by the daily resetting of the clock by the light-dark cycle. As we age, changes in the body clock occur, and these changes may be associated with increased sleep problems. It has been estimated that over 40% of older people suffer from sleep disturbances.
Participants in the study will be exposed to light in their own homes to see if this can improve their sleeping habits, and they will also be asked to complete a questionnaire each day. If you are over 60 and suffer from disturbed sleep and would like to take part in this research, please contact Katharina or Samantha on 01483 683342 or email k.lederle@surrey.ac.uk or s.hopkins@surrey.ac.uk.
This research is supported by the EU Marie Curie RTN Programme (www.sleep.fi) and SomnIA, a Cross-Council New Dynamics of Ageing project (www.somnia.surrey.ac.uk).