Community Assessment Paper
Sleep, Psych & Cognitive Function in Geriatrics
Tamekia Crook, RN, ADN, BSN Student
University of Michigan-Flint
Sleep, Psych & Cognitive Function in Geriatrics: Sleep in Older Adults
Both sleep, and psychological and cognitive function, are areas of concern that are consistently addressed in older adults, as studies have shown that these two very distinct areas, are actually very closely related. It is said that along with other physical changes in aging, so too does sleep patterns change. Most often, older adults have complaints of difficulty sleeping, or difficulty staying asleep. In this paper I plan to address these two important issues, focusing on more specifically sleep and the connection if any to the development of delirium in our geriatric population.
The National Sleep Foundation states that it is a common misconception that sleep needs decline with age. On the contrary our sleep needs remain constant throughout adulthood. (sleepfoundation.org, 2014) If this data is true, what then can we contribute to the lack of sleep experienced by so many seniors to? If we take a moment to think about the older population, along with some of what are considered to be normal changes in aging, we can then begin to dissect and focus on some distinct areas that may be directly contributing to the sleep disturbances suffered by this population. For instance, many older adults are often diagnosed with multiple health conditions which often times require the use of medication(s) in order to control any related symptoms. In this regard, not only can the diagnosis of a particular disease play a major role in the amount of sleep obtained, so too can the anticipated side effects from the prescribed medications. Some antihypertenives, though effective in lowering blood pressure, may have diuretic effects which can become quite a nuisance, and even have the ability to effect sleep due to multiple trips to empty the bladder at night.
In assessing
Tamekia Crook, RN, ADN, BSN Student
University of Michigan-Flint
Sleep, Psych & Cognitive Function in Geriatrics: Sleep in Older Adults
Both sleep, and psychological and cognitive function, are areas of concern that are consistently addressed in older adults, as studies have shown that these two very distinct areas, are actually very closely related. It is said that along with other physical changes in aging, so too does sleep patterns change. Most often, older adults have complaints of difficulty sleeping, or difficulty staying asleep. In this paper I plan to address these two important issues, focusing on more specifically sleep and the connection if any to the development of delirium in our geriatric population.
The National Sleep Foundation states that it is a common misconception that sleep needs decline with age. On the contrary our sleep needs remain constant throughout adulthood. (sleepfoundation.org, 2014) If this data is true, what then can we contribute to the lack of sleep experienced by so many seniors to? If we take a moment to think about the older population, along with some of what are considered to be normal changes in aging, we can then begin to dissect and focus on some distinct areas that may be directly contributing to the sleep disturbances suffered by this population. For instance, many older adults are often diagnosed with multiple health conditions which often times require the use of medication(s) in order to control any related symptoms. In this regard, not only can the diagnosis of a particular disease play a major role in the amount of sleep obtained, so too can the anticipated side effects from the prescribed medications. Some antihypertenives, though effective in lowering blood pressure, may have diuretic effects which can become quite a nuisance, and even have the ability to effect sleep due to multiple trips to empty the bladder at night.
In assessing