Close up image of a caretaker helping older woman walk

If you are older and don’t sleep well, you might wind up falling. Those were among the research findings published in the latest issue of The Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences. A special section devoted to sleep disorders offered four separate reports.

One study by a team of Australian researchers found a link between falls during the day and poor quality of nighttime sleep. Fewer falls were reported by those participants without any sleep disturbances, said researchers, who used a sample group of 300 people over the age of 65.

Other articles outline methods to evaluate and address sleep patterns among nursing home residents. These tools allow for observations in more natural settings. The issue is Vol. 62A, No. 1.