According to a 150,000 person study the March issue of the journal, Sleep, aging does not seem to be related to poor sleep. Actually, sleep seemed to improve as people aged and people in their 80s had the fewest complaints! Health issues and depression were common problems in people with insomnia.
Sleeping patterns are helpful in determining the cause for insomnia. Difficulty getting to sleep and awakening frequently through the night is often related to stress, and awakening early unable to return to sleep is a telltale sign of depression. The most common causes for insomnia are reviewed and include pain, stress, depression, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome and post traumatic stress disorder.
