Senile sleep disorder

Sleep disorders refer to decreased sleep function or sleep affecting respiratory function caused by neural dyscontrol of the reticular activating system and other regions of the brain or changes in neurotransmitters related to sleep. In the elderly, it is not that sleep needs decrease, but rather that sleep ability declines. Sleep disorders can cause considerable morbidity during wakefulness (such as decreased quality of life or even fatal damage), and therefore they are currently a focus of geriatric medical research.