By Murray Sherriffs
Many older adults don’t sleep well.
Researchers at Montreal’s Centre de Recherche de l’Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal say people who took part in an online program designed to treat insomnia and anxiety, slept better following treatment.
Participants completed therapy through an online platform called e-SPACE Aging Well.
Doctor Thien Thanh Dang-Vu, neurology specialist in sleep medicine and clinical researcher at the geriatrics institute, says that poor sleep has been linked to a higher risk of depression, anxiety, heart disease, diabetes and cognitive decline.
Dang-Vu says that the online platform is not intended to replace doctors or psychologists.
Health Canada says that cognitive behaviour therapy is a form of psychotherapy which can help people identify and change thoughts and behaviours.
People with insomnia often remain in bed for long periods, unable to sleep, which can reinforce frustration and make the problem worse, he explained.
This can perpetuate insomnia.
Details in the journal Age and Ageing.
