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BRUNSWICK
BUNDOORA
FISHERMANS BEND
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HO CHI MINH CITY
HANOI
Bid to conquer insomnia among older people
Insomnia is very common in the elderly and is associated with reduced quality of
life and the increased risk of premature death.
Now an RMIT University research student is running a trial to see if gentle exercise
can alleviate the problem in people over 55.
Allison Huther is a Provisional Psychologist in the Institute of Breathing and Sleep
at Austin Health, and an RMIT PhD candidate.
“Insomnia includes repeated difficulty falling asleep, waking during the night, or
waking up too early, which results in daytime sleepiness and poor daytime
functioning,” she said.
“In Australia, a 2000 survey estimated that 18 per cent of women and 12.6 per cent
of men aged 70 or older suffered from insomnia virtually every night.
“Individuals with insomnia report lack of energy, irritability, poor work performance,
memory difficulties and concentration problems.”
Ms Huther said the most common treatment for insomnia was sedative-hypnotic
medications.
“These drugs often work very well in the short-term treatment, but long-term use
may lead to tolerance, dependence and falls.
“We are looking at gentle exercise as a treatment for insomnia in people aged 55
and over,” she said. “This is an important study in providing further treatment
options that do not involve medication.
“The classes are run at Austin Health in Heidelberg and participants will need to be
able to travel there for two exercise classes per week for 12 weeks.”
Professor Ken Greenwood, Head of the School of Health Sciences, and Professor
Marc Cohen, Foundation Professor of Complementary Medicine, are chief
investigators on the project.
To volunteer for the research, email allison.huther@austin.org.au or ring (03) 9496
5440.
For more information: Allison Huther, (03) 9496 3517 or 0411 848 944.
For general media enquiries: RMIT University Communications, David
Glanz, (03) 9925 2807 or 0438 547 723.
3
February, 2010
NEWS 
