AIM: to describe the up-to-date aspects on sleep changes and disturbances in the normal and usual aging process. METHODS: the sleep architecture and the sleep and vigil circadian rhythm were reviewed in order to establish the normalcy pattern and physiological changes in the aging process, describing the most prevalent sleep disturbances of the elderly, their diagnostic evaluation and non-pharmacological management. The text was drawn up based on consulting scientific publications indexed in Medline, in other on-line access publications and in textbooks in the fields of geriatrics, geriatric psychiatry and sleep therapy. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Most of the elderly have sleep-related complaints resulting from specific physiological changes that are specific to the aging process or to diseases that may cause secondary sleep disturbances. The borderline between normalcy and disturbance may be established by means of a judicious diagnostic evaluation that necessarily precedes and guides the therapeutic management. Most sleep disturbances are clinically significant and can be treated with non-pharmacological measures, which include guidance concerning sleep routines and rituals, everyday life activities and environmental conditions.
Elderly; sleep disturbances; health care