Treatment of insomnia in elderly patients

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Abstract

Introduction: Insomnia is one of the most common health conditions amongst the elderly population. It causes suffering and numerous health problems for those affected.

Objectives: To review published results of common non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventions of insomnia and to discuss their application in older patient groups.

Methods: We conducted a systematic literature review for the topic non-pharmacological treatment of Insomnia in Elderly and non-systematic review on the topic of pharmacological treatment using the electronic databases PubMed, PsycInfo, Google Scholar and Web of Knowledge. Only published articles and reviews were included.

Results: Sleep education can support the onset of sleep. As a simple and side-effect-free measure, sleep education should be offered to all elderly individuals with sleep-onset insomnia including those living in retirement homes. Stimulus control means that the bed or the bedroom should only be visited, if there is sufficient tiredness, or left, when tiredness is not sufficient, which is very challenging and sometimes impossible due to the decreasing mobility of the elderly, especially under treatment with hypnotics. Sleep restriction can be conducted in a moderate way, reducing the time spent in bed every week for 30 minutes. Light therapy supports the regulation of the circadian body rhythm by exposing the patients to bright artificial light during the day. As a simple measure with only a few side effects, it is suitable when treating elderly individuals in institutions. Digital therapies are an emerging trend in the treatment of sleep disorders and require further empirical investigation of their effectiveness in the treatment of insomnia in the elderly. Non-pharmacological therapy should be the first-line therapy according to guidelines. Prescribing of sleep medication should take into account the period of time until the maximum effective level is reached, the half-life of the preparation, the binding behaviour to receptors and the metabolism of the preparation, which is especially relevant for elderly populations due to polypharmacy.

Conclusion and implications: A modified, short cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia combined with light therapy is the treatment of choice for elderly patients. However, a short-term pharmacological therapy is recommended as a temporary solution to immediately reduce high levels of distress. It is suggested to integrate both therapeutic approaches into a comprehensive therapeutic concept for insomnia in elderly people.

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Most cited references 33

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European guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia

Elisabeth Hertenstein, Colin Espie, Jason Ellis … (2017)

This European guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia was developed by a task force of the European Sleep Research Society, with the aim of providing clinical recommendations for the management of adult patients with insomnia. The guideline is based on a systematic review of relevant meta-analyses published till June 2016. The target audience for this guideline includes all clinicians involved in the management of insomnia, and the target patient population includes adults with chronic insomnia disorder. The GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) system was used to grade the evidence and guide recommendations. The diagnostic procedure for insomnia, and its co-morbidities, should include a clinical interview consisting of a sleep history (sleep habits, sleep environment, work schedules, circadian factors), the use of sleep questionnaires and sleep diaries, questions about somatic and mental health, a physical examination and additional measures if indicated (i.e. blood tests, electrocardiogram, electroencephalogram; strong recommendation, moderate- to high-quality evidence). Polysomnography can be used to evaluate other sleep disorders if suspected (i.e. periodic limb movement disorder, sleep-related breathing disorders), in treatment-resistant insomnia, for professional at-risk populations and when substantial sleep state misperception is suspected (strong recommendation, high-quality evidence). Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia is recommended as the first-line treatment for chronic insomnia in adults of any age (strong recommendation, high-quality evidence). A pharmacological intervention can be offered if cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia is not sufficiently effective or not available. Benzodiazepines, benzodiazepine receptor agonists and some antidepressants are effective in the short-term treatment of insomnia (≤4 weeks; weak recommendation, moderate-quality evidence). Antihistamines, antipsychotics, melatonin and phytotherapeutics are not recommended for insomnia treatment (strong to weak recommendations, low- to very-low-quality evidence). Light therapy and exercise need to be further evaluated to judge their usefulness in the treatment of insomnia (weak recommendation, low-quality evidence). Complementary and alternative treatments (e.g. homeopathy, acupuncture) are not recommended for insomnia treatment (weak recommendation, very-low-quality evidence).

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Psychological and behavioral treatment of insomnia:update of the recent evidence (1998-2004).

Charles Morin, Richard Bootzin, Daniel J. Buysse … (2006)

Recognition that psychological and behavioral factors play an important role in insomnia has led to increased interest in therapies targeting these factors. A review paper published in 1999 summarized the evidence regarding the efficacy of psychological and behavioral treatments for persistent insomnia. The present review provides an update of the evidence published since the original paper. As with the original paper, this review was conducted by a task force commissioned by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine in order to update its practice parameters on psychological and behavioral therapies for insomnia. A systematic review was conducted on 37 treatment studies (N = 2246 subjects/patients) published between 1998 and 2004 inclusively and identified through Psyclnfo and Medline searches. Each study was systematically reviewed with a standard coding sheet and the following information was extracted: Study design, sample (number of participants, age, gender), diagnosis, type of treatments and controls, primary and secondary outcome measures, and main findings. Criteria for inclusion of a study were as follows: (a) the main sleep diagnosis was insomnia (primary or comorbid), (b) at least 1 treatment condition was psychological or behavioral in content, (c) the study design was a randomized controlled trial, a nonrandomized group design, a clinical case series or a single subject experimental design with a minimum of 10 subjects, and (d) the study included at least 1 of the following as dependent variables: sleep onset latency, number and/or duration of awakenings, total sleep time, sleep efficiency, or sleep quality. Psychological and behavioral therapies produced reliable changes in several sleep parameters of individuals with either primary insomnia or insomnia associated with medical and psychiatric disorders. Nine studies documented the benefits of insomnia treatment in older adults or for facilitating discontinuation of medication among chronic hypnotic users. Sleep improvements achieved with treatment were well sustained over time; however, with the exception of reduced psychological symptoms/ distress, there was limited evidence that improved sleep led to clinically meaningful changes in other indices of morbidity (e.g., daytime fatigue). Five treatments met criteria for empirically-supported psychological treatments for insomnia: Stimulus control therapy, relaxation, paradoxical intention, sleep restriction, and cognitive-behavior therapy. These updated findings provide additional evidence in support of the original review's conclusions as to the efficacy and generalizability of psychological and behavioral therapies for persistent insomnia. Nonetheless, further research is needed to develop therapies that would optimize outcomes and reduce morbidity, as would studies of treatment mechanisms, mediators, and moderators of outcomes. Effectiveness studies are also needed to validate those therapies when implemented in clinical settings (primary care), by non-sleep specialists. There is also a need to disseminate more effectively the available evidence in support of psychological and behavioral interventions to health-care practitioners working on the front line.

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Sleep, insomnia, and depression

Dieter Riemann, Lukas B. Krone, Katharina Wulff … (2019)

Since ancient times it is known that melancholia and sleep disturbances co-occur. The introduction of polysomnography into psychiatric research confirmed a disturbance of sleep continuity in patients with depression, revealing not only a decrease in Slow Wave Sleep, but also a disinhibition of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, demonstrated as a shortening of REM latency, an increase of REM density, as well as total REM sleep time. Initial hopes that these abnormalities of REM sleep may serve as differential-diagnostic markers for subtypes of depression were not fulfilled. Almost all antidepressant agents suppress REM sleep and a time-and-dose-response relationship between total REM sleep suppression and therapeutic response to treatment seemed apparent. The so-called Cholinergic REM Induction Test revealed that REM sleep abnormalities can be mimicked by administration of cholinomimetic agents. Another important research avenue is the study of chrono-medical timing of sleep deprivation and light exposure for their positive effects on mood in depression. Present day research takes the view on insomnia, i.e., prolonged sleep latency, problems to maintain sleep, and early morning awakening, as a transdiagnostic symptom for many mental disorders, being most closely related to depression. Studying insomnia from different angles as a transdiagnostic phenotype has opened many new perspectives for research into mechanisms but also for clinical practice. Thus, the question is: can the early and adequate treatment of insomnia prevent depression? This article will link current understanding about sleep regulatory mechanisms with knowledge about changes in physiology due to depression. The review aims to draw the attention to current and future strategies in research and clinical practice to the benefits of sleep and depression therapeutics.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (doi): 10.26407

Title: Journal for ReAttach Therapy and Developmental Diversities

Abbreviated Title: JRTDD

Publisher: ReAttach Therapy International Foundation

ISSN (Electronic): 2589-7799

Publication date (Electronic preprint): 21 January 2020

Publication date (Electronic): 22 January 2020

Volume: 2

Issue: 2

Affiliations

[1 ]Outclinic for Sleep Medicine, University Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Paracelsus Medical University Nuremberg Germany

[2 ]Faculty for Social Work, Technical University Nuremberg Georg Simon Ohm, Germany

[3 ]Faculty for Medicine, University Goce Delchev Shtip, Macedonia

[4 ]Faculty of Health, University of Witten Herdecke, Witten, Germany

Author notes

Correspondence: Kneginja Richter ( Kneginja.Richter@ 123456gmx.de )

Article

DOI: 10.26407/2019jrtdd.1.25

SO-VID: ccfe616f-539a-4da2-b1af-183268d47a7f

License:

This is an open access article published by ReAttach Therapy International Foundation and distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).

History

Date received : 16 December 2019

Date revision received : 12 January 2020

Date accepted : 20 January 2020

Page count

Pages: 10

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Treatment of insomnia in elderly patients

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Journal for ReAttach Therapy and Developmental Diversities

Most cited references 33

European guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia

Psychological and behavioral treatment of insomnia:update of the recent evidence (1998-2004).

Sleep, insomnia, and depression

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