Insomnia, disrupted sleep, and consequent daytime drowsiness are associated with an increased risk of accidents, increased utilization of health care and sedative-hyponotic medications, and a reduced quality of life. Older men and women receive a disproportionate number of prescriptions for sedative-hypnotics, which can exacerbate sleep apnea and lead to daytime carryover effects such as sedation, falls and subsequent fractures, and cognitive impairment. A better understanding of age-related changes in sleep and circadian rhythms is sorely needed. One contributing factor may be age-related changes in hormones.
Many hormones decrease significantly with aging.
We are investigating the roles of these hormones in sleep, circadian rhythms and cognition of older men and women.