Stephens and Gatchel. Ann Sleep Med 2018, 1(1):11-18 Copyright: © 2018 Stephens J, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Review Article Open Access Annals of Sleep Medicine • Page 11 • *Corresponding author: Robert J Gatchel, Ph.D., ABPP, Department of Psychology, College of Science, The Univer- sity of Texas at Arlington, 1225 West Mitchell, Box 19528, Arlington, TX 76019, USA, E-mail: gatchel@uta.edu Received: February 24, 2018; Accepted: March 31, 2018; Published online: April 02, 2018 Citation: Stephens J, Gatchel RJ (2018) Sleep Quality in Older Adults: A Review of Associated Mechanisms. Ann Sleep Med 1(1):11-18 ISSN: 2578-6334 | DOI: 10.36959/532/320 | Volume 1 | Issue 1 Sleep Quality in Older Adults: A Review of Associated Mech- anisms Jessica Stephens and Robert J Gatchel * Department of Psychology, College of Science, The University of Texas at Arlington, Texas, USA Overview Substantial growth of the elderly population is ex- pected across the planet over the next few decades, with those over 60 years of age reaching about 2 billion, or 22% of the world’s population by 2050 [1]. As one ages, numerous concerns commonly arise. One important as- pect of healthy aging that can permeate other facets of life may be the duration and quality of one’s sleep. Te scientifc consensus seems to afrm that getting adequate sleep is essential, although it is not currently practiced by the majority of adults [2]. Tis may be especially so in the case of older adults, a classifcation by the World Health Organization (WHO) which defnes an older adult as one who is above the age of 60, and/or currently consid- ered to be elderly or retired from an occupation by their nation of residence, while also appreciating that nation- al and socioeconomic indicators relate to variations in life expectancy and health for the population [3]. As one advances in age, it has been found that they tend to fall asleep later, have reduced time spent within crucial rap- id eye movement (REM) sleep, and have reduced overall duration and quality of sleep [4]. Relatedly, older adults typically need less sleep (7-8 hours per night) than younger adults (8-9 hours per night) and children (9-11 hours), according to the rec- ommended sleep duration guidelines of the Nation- al Sleep Foundation [5]. Yet, many adults are sleeping fewer hours per night than recommended, and are ofen troubled by an inability to fall asleep or stay asleep for a full and restful night. Te aforementioned sleep distur- bances are core diagnostic criteria of insomnia, the most common form of sleep disorder. Symptoms of insomnia impact approximately 30% of adults, with approximate- ly 10% reporting disturbed daytime functioning and/or stress as a result of impaired sleep which would warrant a formal diagnosis [6,7]. For example, a sleep study of 669 adults (mean age = 42) found that their sleep dura- tion per night was self-reported as 6.8 hours, on average. Te participant’s self-reported average sleep duration was less than the recommended guidelines (by at least 1/5 of an hour for the minimum recommendation for older adults, and as much as 1.2 hours for the minimum recommendation for young adults). When these same individuals had their sleep durations recorded by a wrist Abstract With the growing appreciation that sleeping habits interact with health and aging, it is now imperative to increase our understanding of exactly how sleep and age interact, infuence one another, and contribute to a person’s overall health and wellness. Recent studies on sleep and aging have produced some insight into the interplay among the mechanisms that govern sleep, such as circadian rhythms, neurodegenerative processes, neurological illnesses, and genetic factors that are associated with an aging population. Te present review will provide an updated understanding of the relationship among aging, health, sleep defcits, circadian infuences, and neurodegeneration. Gaining an understanding of these mechanisms may propel future research and treatment developments for age-related sleep defciency and resulting health consequences. Keywords Sleep, Senescence, Aging, Circadian rhythms, Neurodegeneration, Neurodegenerative diseases, Elderly, Insomnia