McGinty D
Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles.
Geriatrics. 1987 Dec;42(12):61-2, 65-9, 72.
Complaints about sleep are extremely common in the elderly, leading to an impression that aging-related sleep problems are virtually normal and benign. However, studies have shown that such complaints as habitual snoring, frequent awakening, nocturnal sweating, and awakening with anxiety, may be signs of genuine sleep disorders. The most prevalent and most serious aging-related sleep disorder is sleep apnea. There is recent evidence of an association between sleep apnea and circulatory disorders, including hypertension, stroke, and angina pectoris, and with reduced life expectancy. The older sleep apnea victim may not complain of daytime sleepiness, the usual symptom in younger patients. Sleep apnea, and several other sleep disorders of the elderly are treatable, once an accurate diagnosis is made. Physicians are urged to make questions about sleep as routine as the taking of blood pressure.
老年人中关于睡眠的抱怨极为常见，这让人觉得与衰老相关的睡眠问题实际上是正常且无害的。然而，研究表明，诸如习惯性打鼾、频繁醒来、夜间出汗以及焦虑中醒来等抱怨，可能是真正睡眠障碍的迹象。最普遍且最严重的与衰老相关的睡眠障碍是睡眠呼吸暂停。最近有证据表明睡眠呼吸暂停与循环系统疾病有关，包括高血压、中风和心绞痛，并且与预期寿命缩短有关。年长的睡眠呼吸暂停患者可能不会抱怨白天嗜睡，而这是年轻患者的常见症状。一旦做出准确诊断，睡眠呼吸暂停以及老年人的其他几种睡眠障碍是可以治疗的。敦促医生将关于睡眠的询问像测量血压一样作为常规操作。
