Course Summary

Course expiration date: 7/16/27

Although sleep disorders can affect anyone at any age, older adults and elderly patients suffer from chronic sleep deprivation at higher rates than anyone else. Many factors can affect an older adult’s quality of sleep, but the primary cause is that it becomes more difficult to maintain sleep as a person ages. Understanding the function of the body’s internal clock is key to recognizing sleep disorders in older patients and offering effective treatment strategies.

Course Format

Homestudy

Course Syllabus

  • Introduction
  • Normal Sleep Patterns
    • Non-rapid Eye Movement
    • Rapid Eye Movement
  • Common Sleep Disorders
    • Breathing Disorders
    • Insomnia
    • Circadian Rhythm Disorders
    • Limb Disorders
    • Hypersomnias
  • Night Sleep Behaviors
    • Sleepwalking
    • Bruxism
    • REM Behavior Disorder
  • Sleep Disorders Secondary To Illness/Injury
    • Cognitive Disorders
    • Chronic Disease And Sleep Disorders
  • Treatment of Sleep Disorders in Older Adults
    • Behavior and Habit Modifications
    • CPAP and BiPAP
    • Medication
    • Surgical Treatment
    • Pain Management
  • Summary

Author

Sarah Schulze, MSN, APRN, CPNP

Sarah Schulze is a board certified pediatric nurse practitioner and professional medical content writer. She earned her BSN from Indiana State University and her MSN from University of Illinois at Chicago. In clinical practice as an RN and NP, she has experience in a variety of settings; including critical care, PACU, pediatrics, mental health, and lactation support. She currently owns and operates a private practice providing outpatient mental health services to children and adolescents. As a writer, she has developed content for many CEU courses, medical apps, health education curricula, NCLEX study materials, health blogs, and more.

Richard Daniels, PharmD, BCPS

Richard “Cole” Daniels earned his Doctor of Pharmacy(PharmD) from the Skaggs School of Pharmacy at the University of Montana in 2018. Throughout pharmacy school he completed a 3-year internship at Community Medical Center in Missoula, Montana in which he gained valuable experience in an acute care setting. Cole currently serves as a psychiatric clinical staff pharmacist at the Montana State Hospital. He has over 11 years of pharmacy experience having worked in several settings including retail, acute care, and inpatient psychiatric care. Cole has a diverse set of interests. However, acute care medicine, infectious disease, pain management, and asthma/COPD are a primary focus of his at the Montana State Hospital. He obtained board certification as a certified pharmacotherapy specialist in the Spring of 2022.