Management of Insomnia in Hospitalized Elderly Patients

• Autor(a) principal: Távora, Catarina
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Outros Autores: Silva, João, Alves, Mariana, Fonseca, Teresa, Paiva, Teresa Paiva
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• DOI: 10.24950/rspmi.458
• Texto Completo: https://doi.org/10.24950/rspmi.458
• topic: Distúrbios do Início e da Manutenção do Sono; Hospitalização; Idoso; Aged; Hospitalization; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders.

There are several factors that can contribute to poor sleep quality in hospitalized elderly patients. Clinicians have a variety of non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventions available. This article aims to review the different therapeutic options. In the treatment of insomnia in hospitalized elderly patients, priority should be given to non-pharmacological measures that will improve sleep quality and improve well-being and health recovery. Some measures can be applied duringthe day, such as minimizing daytime naps, preventing and treating delirium as well as looking for and treat undiagnosed sleeping disorders. Regarding the pharmacological measures, more than emphasize the less harmful medicines, we intend to reinforce medicines to be avoided due to side effects and impact on patients’ comorbidities, like benzodiazepines with a long half-life and antihistamines. Other drugs to consider in clinical practice are non-benzodiazepine drugs such as zolpidem and antidepressants with sedative effects such as mirtazapine and trazodone