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Insomnia in the Ageing Population: Characterisation and Non-Pharmacological Treatment Strategies

Sleep problems represent a worldwide health concern among older adults, with an increasing prevalence of multimorbid conditions and a decreased quality of life. However, most elderly patients are not correctly diagnosed due to numerous confounding variables (e.g., medical and psychiatric disorders, polypharmacy, and psychosocial factors) affecting sleep and the confusion regarding the differential diagnosis in older adults between normal changes in sleep pattern as a result of ageing and sleep disorders. There are normal changes to the sleep architecture throughout the lifespan, and sleep disorders are not part of the ageing process; however, there are several sleep disorders that affect older adults. The most prevalent sleep disorder is insomnia, which is found in different forms and affects approximately 30–50% of the older adult population. The treatment strategies for sleep disorders are multivariate, with prescriptions of pharmacological treatments being the most common method among healthcare professionals; however, there is strong evidence that non-pharmacological treatments have better long-term effects. The aim of this review is to explain the difference between sleep disorders and sleep alterations as a result of ageing, to characterise insomnia in older adults, and, finally, to present the different effective non-pharmacological possibilities, accompanied by evidence, for the treatment of insomnia in older adults.