changes in sleep biology accompany aging as well. The causes of sleep disruptions in older adults include a decreased amplitude of the circadian rhythms generated by the SCN (the timekeeper in the brain that maintains circadian rhythms), the degradation of neural signaling in the aging brain, and impairments in melatonin production. More than 40 percent of people over sixty-five report sleep problems. Nighttime sleep is often interrupted by frequent awakenings (sleep fragmentation); these interruptions become more frequent in the early-morning hours, and it can become more and more difficult
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