Sleep disturbances in aging: a theoretic and empiric analysis.

Empirical evidence suggests that elderly persons experience more frequent qualitative and quantitative sleep disturbances than persons of other age groups. These disruptions may be particularly detrimental to the elderly since their physiological tolerance for disequilibrium is more limited than that of younger persons. Some sleep changes, however, appear to be physiologically beneficial and adaptive and should not be inadvertently dampened with drugs or other measures. Considerably more research is needed to allow nurses to assess sleep problems and intervene to achieve the intended therapeutic effect with greater precision.