Popular Sleep Medicine Puts Older Adults at Risk for Falls, Cognitive Impairment

Posted By on January 19, 2011

ScienceDaily (Jan. 13, 2011) — Adults who take one of the world’s most commonly prescribed sleep medications are significantly more at risk for nighttime falls and potential injury, according to a new study by the University of Colorado at Boulder.

The study, which involved 25 healthy adults, showed 58 percent of the older adults and 27 percent of the young adults who took a hypnotic, sleep-inducing drug called zolpidem showed a significant loss of balance when awakened two hours after sleep. The findings are important because falls are the leading cause of injury in older adults, and 30 percent of adults 65 and older who fall require hospitalization each year, said CU-Boulder Associate Professor Kenneth Wright, lead study author.

Cont. at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110113101655.htm

About the author

Health coach since 1968. Published The Clean Green Thumb (1968-1971) and Green Power (1971-1974) and Carolina Health & Healing, which changed into Integrative Health & Healing when we went national for 3-1/2 years. Currently producing raw food books and a quarterly magazine called Wellthy Choices. Click on the Products tab to see what's currently available.

Comments

Comments are closed.

About Wellthy Choices

Wellthy Choices for breathing, water, nutrition, detoxification, sustainable living, spirituality.

Learn how to make Wellthy Choices to improve and sustain your health!