Gigli G L, Placidi F, Diomedi M, Maschio M, Silvestri G, Scalise A, Marciani M G
Department of Neurology, University Tor Vergata of Rome, Italy.
Int J Neurosci. 1996 Apr;85(3-4):263-71. doi: 10.3109/00207459608986687.
It is still debated whether the deterioration of the sleep pattern, frequently reported by elderly subjects, is due only to aging per se. Other factors associated with aging or modifications of biological rhythms could also be involved. Elderly subjects frequently complain of daytime sleepiness, but it is not clear whether this actually represents a return to a polyphasic structure of sleep, or only a consequence of a disturbed night sleep. Ten healthy, independent and active elderly subjects (age > 72 years) were elevated by means of 24-hour ambulatory polysomnography. Findings of nocturnal sleep were compared with sleep of the same group in the 24-hour period and with sleep of young healthy controls. We observed a fragmentation of nocturnal sleep, but a fairly good representation of stages and a preservation of cyclicity. Except for three cases, with early or late times of sleep onset and wake-up, sleep disruption did not seem to be related to modification of circadian rhythms. Only three subjects presented undesired daytime naps, whereas the others either did not show daytime sleep at all, or were used to having their siesta after lunch since their young adulthood. In normal aging, daytime sleep does not constitute a social problem. Ambulatory polysomnography is a valid alternative to laboratory recordings in the identification of daytime sleep.
老年人经常报告的睡眠模式恶化是否仅归因于衰老本身，这一点仍存在争议。与衰老相关的其他因素或生物节律的改变也可能起作用。老年人经常抱怨白天嗜睡，但尚不清楚这实际上是代表睡眠恢复到多相结构，还是仅仅是夜间睡眠紊乱的结果。通过24小时动态多导睡眠图对10名健康、独立且活跃的老年人（年龄>72岁）进行监测。将夜间睡眠结果与该组在24小时内的睡眠情况以及年轻健康对照组的睡眠情况进行比较。我们观察到夜间睡眠存在碎片化，但睡眠阶段表现相当良好且周期性得以保留。除了3例入睡或醒来时间过早或过晚的情况外，睡眠中断似乎与昼夜节律的改变无关。只有3名受试者出现了不期望的白天小睡，而其他受试者要么根本没有白天睡眠，要么从年轻时起就习惯在午餐后午睡。在正常衰老过程中，白天睡眠并不构成社会问题。动态多导睡眠图在识别白天睡眠方面是实验室记录的有效替代方法。
