Lying awake at night is shown to double the risk of dying in older adults, according to a new study.
Many older people complain of disturbed sleep. Either they have a problem dropping off, or they wake up very early in the morning. Naturally this impairs quality of life but many doctors don't think poor sleep is a serious health problem. Maybe it's time to think again, after a report from researchers at the University of Pittsburgh.

They used monitors to assess sleep patterns among a group of 185 adults aged between 60 and 90. The data were collected between 1981 and 1997 and then the results for those 66 adults who'd died by 2001 were analysed. These individuals were more likely to lie awake for long periods and to have abnormal sleep patterns. The connection persisted, even after health problems were accounted for.

But this study does not tell us just how poor sleep may affect health. It may be that the sleep pattern abnormalities are indicative of some brain changes which are injurious to the health. The study also reminds us of the importance of doing everything possible to get a good night's sleep.