Falls risk among high‐ and low‐ frequency sleep medication users with and without dementia

Background Sleep disturbances and falls are common in older adults, particularly in people living with dementia (PLWD). Increasing sleep disturbances occur with increasing age (M. Ohayon, 2002), and one third of those 65 and older experience falls at least once per year (World Health Organization, 2007). Sleep medication use is associated with falls in older adults, but little is known about its impact in PLWD. This study seeks to determine if there is a differential association between high‐ and low‐ frequency sleep medication use among those with and without dementia. Method Using data from the 2011 National Health and Aging Trends Study (n=8,245), we used logistic regression models to examine the association of high‐ versus low‐ frequency sleep medication use with falls in community‐dwelling older adults with and without self‐reported dementia. Result In our fully adjusted model, PLWD (n=176), high‐frequency sleep medication users were more likely to fall than low‐frequency sleep medication users (OR=3.86, 95% CI: 1.31, 11.37). Among those without self‐reported dementia (n=6,658), high‐frequency sleep medication users were more likely to fall than low‐frequency sleep medication users (OR=1.40, 95% CI: 1.11, 1.77). Conclusion After controlling for potential confounders, PLWD who have high ‐ frequency sleep medication use are almost 4 times more likely to experience falls than PLWD who have low‐frequency sleep medication use. Reducing sleep medication use in older adults with and without dementia may help reduce the risk of falls and fall‐related outcomes in older adults. Future studies to examine sleep medication alternatives are warranted.