Older people often take a number of prescription drugs whose side effects include insomnia. The elderly are also prone to grief, depression, and anxiety, the handmaidens of sleeplessness. One study found, in fact, that in healthy older adults, psychologic factors, such as anxiety and depression, were more likely to be the cause of insomnia than illness, medications, or living conditions. Sleep loss among the elderly is not inevitable, however. While older people are more susceptible to many physiologic conditions that can cause insomnia, treatment proves as useful in providing relief to the elderly as to the young.
Regular exercise can contribute to healthy restful sleep in older adults as it does in young people.
Other Risk Factors People who travel frequently and cross time lines are at increased risk for insomnia. Anyone who smokes or overuses alcohol, caffeine, or other stimulants is at risk for sleeplessness. A new phenomenon that is causing insomnia is Internet addiction. One study reported that people who had experienced insomnia all their lives had more nightmares and fear of the dark as children than people whose insomnia developed in adulthood. The reports are distinguished from other information sources available to patients and health care consumers by their quality, detail of information, and currency.