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Posted on Mar 31, 2008, 8 p.m.
By Jeanelle Topping
A new study has linked persistent insomnia to the length and severity of depression in older patients, Medical News Today reports.
A new study has linked persistent insomnia to the length and severity of depression in older patients, Medical News Today reports.
The results of Dr Wilfred R Pigeon's study, published in the latest issue of the journal Sleep, suggest that patients over the age of 60 who suffer from persistent insomnia are at a higher risk of remaining depressed for longer with less improvement than non-insomniac patients.
Dr Pigeon, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York, told Medical News Today: "Even when depression was identified and treated in the primary care setting, the older adults in this study were more likely to remain depressed if they also exhibited persistent insomnia.
"The finding that this risk was higher in the usual-care group suggests that enhanced depression care may partially mitigate the perpetuating effects of insomnia on depression."
Previous research has identified insomnia as a risk factor for both first and recurrent episodes of severe depression.
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, although sleep patterns change as part of the natural ageing process, disturbed sleep and waking up tired on a daily basis are not part of normal ageing.
