Sleep Well, Age Well

*This post is from the Consumer Reports Health Blog.  We felt it fit well as a follow up to our weekly post for May 1st, 2010. “The idea that people need and want less sleep as they get older is a myth,” says Harrison Bloom, M.D., a senior associate with the International Longevity Center USA in New York. But it is true that the type of sleep they get often changes. “People may not sleep as deeply as they did when they were young, and they may awaken more frequently,” Bloom says. That disturbed sleep increases the risk of conditions such as cardiovascular disease, depression, and hypertension. Unfortunately, even many physicians ignore complaints about poor sleep from older people, assuming it’s just part of aging. But health conditions that impair sleep, such as sleep apnea, are often independent problems that respond to treatment. … Continue reading →