Introduction
Sleep, like all other physical, hormonal, and psychological processes, is subject to age-related changes in humans. In addition to the physiological deterioration of sleep quality, the increased number of comorbid diseases in old age cause additional insomnia complaints. Because of the numerous side effects of the drug treatment of insomnia, effective treatment with cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia should be considered to maintain quality of life and sleep.
Methods
An orienting literature search of PubMed was carried out with the keywords “sleep initiation and maintenance disorders” and “aging” and “aged”. Studies on the drug treatment of insomnia were excluded. Of the 34 publications found, a total of 15 publications were included in the final analysis.
Results
In addition to classical cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia, modified forms of this procedure have been used to treat insomnia in old age in the publications considered. The procedures examined varied in the number of sessions (a maximum of ten) and in the setting (individual or group therapies, internet-based therapy, individual sessions with telephone counseling). In addition, the different treatment offers were not only carried out by trained psychotherapists and doctors, but also included other occupational groups.
Discussion
Due to the demographic development in Germany, an expansion of staff trained in sleep medicine is needed to treat the sleep problems of older people in geriatric institutions. The high prevalence of insomnia in the elderly population and the concomitant shortage of staff trained in psychotherapy and sleep medicine illustrate the need to educate staff from other health care professions in sleep medicine. Thus, the care of older insomnia patients can be ensured by additional sleep-related treatments.