Good night's sleep 'improves quality of life'

Older people using home care should ensure they get a good night's sleep for an improved quality of life, research has indicated.

Getting six to nine hours of sleep each night was associated with better quality of life and less depression, according to research presented at conference SLEEP 2011.

 Principal investigator Dr Charles Bae, of the Cleveland Clinic Sleep Disorders Center in Ohio, said: "These results are important because they provide more information about the importance of getting enough sleep, which is usually six to nine hours per night."

Mr Bae added that sleeping too much could also have a negative impact on health.

This follows comments by Ann Finnemore, a hypnotherapist and stress manager, who said that insomnia and other effects of stress could be misdiagnosed as symptoms of old age in seniors.

She explained that consequently, older people could find it more difficult to get their stress diagnosed.

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