Alternatives to sleeping medication for older people with poor sleep

Monday 25 October 2010

After a four year study into the causes of sleep disturbance, academic researchers including staff at the University of Surrey have stressed that getting enough sleep – more than six hours a night – is important to maintaining good health. Getting enough sleep should be seen alongside a good diet, sufficient exercise (preferably outdoors), not smoking and drinking in moderation as vital for good health.

People with poor sleep who live in either care homes or private accommodation with poor lighting may find that their sleep problems are improved by switching to brighter lights or spending more time outdoors during the day.

Poor sleep is one of the most common complaints of old age. It reduces quality of life, increases the risk of falls, accidents and depression, and impairs mental functioning in older people.

Evidence has accumulated that short sleep duration and poor sleep quality result in increased risk of mortality and many chronic conditions, including heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

Over the last 4 years, the SomnIA (Sleep In Ageing) multi-disciplinary research project, has examined the main factors leading to poor sleep among older people living in their own homes and living in care homes, and explored ways of improving sleep among older people without the use of sleeping medication.
The SomnIA project has shown various ways in which sleep can be improved in later life without recourse to sleeping medication. These include:

• Many older people are exposed to insufficient bright light during the day, either because they rarely go outside or because they have dim lighting in their own home or in a care home. Our research has investigated the effect of brighter light exposure on sleep and well-being

• The creation of a web resource on ‘Sleep Problems in Later Life’ (www.healthtalkonline.org) which contains older people talking about how they have coped with their poor sleep. This web resource provides advice and awareness of how other older people have managed their poor sleep and been enabled to live more active lives.

• An evaluation of a self-help Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) programme for chronically ill people who have insomnia. A series of six weekly self-help booklets, together with telephone support, were provided. This resulted in improvements in sleep quality and reductions in daytime fatigue, pain and sleeping drug use.

• The role that technology can play to help maintain and improve sleep. A series of novel devices have been designed to aid sleep both in the community and care homes, such as a pillow through which recorded music, TV, radio or spoken words can be played.

Professor Sara Arber, of the Sociology Department at the University of Surrey, who leads the overall SomnIA research, says ‘Given the importance of sleep for health, well-being and maintaining daytime activity, as well as the deterioration of sleep with increasing age, it is remarkable that there has previously been so little research on how to optimise sleep among older people. The SomnIA research project has shown that there are ways to improve older people’s sleep without recourse to prescription sleeping medications.’

The SomnIA (Sleep in Ageing) project (www.somnia.surrey.ac.uk) involves the Universities of Surrey, Bath, Loughborough and King’s College, London. It illustrates the value of multi-disciplinary research by combining the strengths of sociology, psychology, medicine, nursing, biology and engineering.

A Day Conference on ‘Sleep, Well-Being and Active Ageing: New Evidence for Policy and Practice’ is being held on Thursday 28th October 2010, Church House Conference Centre, Westminster, London to showcase the findings of the project. See www.somnia.surrey.ac.uk/conferences for further information about invited speakers and the conference programme.

This four year Collaborative Research Project is funded under the New Dynamics of Ageing Initiative (NDA) (see www.newdynamics.group.shef.ac.uk) by the five UK Research Councils (Arts and Humanities Research Council, Biology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Economics and Social Research Council and the Medical Research Council). Grant number RES-339-25-0009. The NDA initiative is a seven year research programme, and is the largest and most ambitious research programme on ageing ever mounted in the UK.

Media enquiries: Howard Wheeler, Media Relations Office at the University of Surrey, Tel: 01483 686141 or email: h.wheeler@surrey.ac.uk

Editors' Notes

Notes to Editors:

The University of Surrey is one of the UK’s leading professional, scientific and technological universities with a world class research profile and a reputation for excellence in teaching and research. Ground-breaking research at the University is bringing direct benefit to all spheres of life – helping industry to maintain its competitive edge and creating improvements in the areas of health, medicine, space science, the environment, communications, defence and social policy. Programmes in science and technology have gained widespread recognition and it also boasts flourishing programmes in dance and music, social sciences, management and languages and law. In addition to the campus on 150 hectares just outside Guildford, Surrey, the University also owns and runs the Surrey Research Park, which provides facilities for 140 companies employing 2,700 staff.

The Sunday Times names Surrey as ‘The University for Jobs' which underlines the university’s growing reputation for providing high quality, relevant degrees. Surrey is a member of the 1994 Group of 19 leading research-intensive universities. The Group was established in 1994 to promote excellence in university research and teaching. Each member undertakes diverse and high-quality research, while ensuring excellent levels of teaching and student experience. www.1994group.ac.uk

Media Enquiries

Howard Wheeler, Press Office at the University of Surrey, Tel: +44 (0)1483 686141, or Email mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk