Researchers Try to Bring Back Youthful Sleep

Researchers are going to study how to make it easier for older people to sleep.

Scientists at the Oregon Health Sciences University and at Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland will study the role of the hormone melatonin in controlling sleep and wakefulness.

Scientists believe melatonin levels decline as people age, disrupting the body’s internal clock.

“Even people in their 30s and 40s don’t have the deep sleep that young people do,” said Robert L. Sack, one of the principal researchers in the $4-million study.

Researchers estimate that half the 29 million people over 65 have trouble sleeping, a condition that can aggravate illness and cause frustration, confusion and depression.

Researchers hope that doses of synthetic melatonin will prove to be a safer, more effective solution to sleep problems than sleeping pills.