ArticleThe Gerontologist2017
Sleep Health and Appropriate Use of OTC Sleep Aids in Older Adults-Recommendations of a Gerontological Society of America Workgroup.
Article in The Gerontologist, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 49 citations in OpenAlex.
- Oral magnesium supplementation for insomnia in older adults: a Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2021Pooled it
- Pharmacological and psychological approaches to insomnia treatment in cardiac patients: a narrative literature review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Review
- Comparing Sleep Quality, Duration, and Efficiency Among Low-Income Community-Dwelling Older Adults With and Without Physical Disabilities.Journal of gerontological nursing · 2024Article
- The influence of sleep disorders on perioperative neurocognitive disorders among the elderly: A narrative review.Ibrain · 2024Review
- Factors associated with the use of over-the-counter sleep aids containing diphenhydramine: A cross-sectional study in Saudi Arabia.Saudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society · 2023Article
- Elevating Safe Use of Over-The-Counter Medications in Older Adults: A Narrative Review of Pharmacy Involved Interventions and Recommendations for Improvement.Drugs & aging · 2023Review
- Analysing the role of sleep quality, functional limitation and depressive symptoms in determining life satisfaction among the older Population in India: a moderated mediation approach.BMC public health · 2022Article
- Cognitive Performance Trajectories Before and After Sleep Treatment Initiation in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Results From the Health and Retirement Study.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2022Article
- Article
- Age-associated differences in sleep duration in the US population: potential effects of disease burden.Sleep medicine · 2021Article
- Perceived sleep quality, coping behavior, and associations with major depression among older adults.Journal of health psychology · 2021Article
- A pharmacy-based intervention to improve safe over-the-counter medication use in older adults.Research in social & administrative pharmacy : RSAP · 2021Article
- The Effect of Cumulative Anticholinergic Use on the Cognitive Function of Older Adults: Results from the Personality and Total Health (PATH) Through Life Study.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2020Article
- Improving Patient-Pharmacist Encounters with Over-The-Counter Medications: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study.Innovations in pharmacy · 2020Article
- Usability and feasibility of consumer-facing technology to reduce unsafe medication use by older adults.Research in social & administrative pharmacy : RSAP · 2020Article
- Understanding older adults' medication decision making and behavior: A study on over-the-counter (OTC) anticholinergic medications.Research in social & administrative pharmacy : RSAP · 2019Article
- The association of insomnia and depressive symptoms with all-cause mortality among middle-aged and old adults.International journal of geriatric psychiatry · 2018Article
- Recent Developments in the Management of Insomnia in Later Life.Current treatment options in psychiatry · 2018Article
- Managing sleep problems using non-prescription medications and the role of community pharmacists: older adults' perspectives.The International journal of pharmacy practice · 2017Article
- Over-the-counter medications containing diphenhydramine and doxylamine used by older adults to improve sleep.International journal of clinical pharmacy · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Getting a good night's sleep can be challenging for older adults with chronic medical conditions, which often interfere with sleep. As a result, many older adults turn to over-the-counter (OTC) sleep aids, that is, products with diphenhydramine or doxylamine. However, these products are indicated only for occasional difficulty with sleep, not for chronic use; and their safety and efficacy has not been well established in general and in older adults specifically. To engage national stakeholders in a discussion of OTC sleep aids in older adults, the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) convened a multidisciplinary workgroup. The Workgroup examined differences between younger and older adults in sleep health and use of OTC sleep aids using data from the National Health and Wellness Survey; assessed the pharmacologic properties and medication effects of OTC sleep aids; and worked with stakeholders to promote strategies for safe and effective use. Older adults are more likely to take diphenhydramine or doxylamine products 15 or more days in a month, an indicator of inappropriate use. The Workgroup recommends research to investigate the ways older people use OTC sleep aids. The goal should be reduction in inappropriate use and associated risks, such as daytime sedation, compromised cognitive function, and falls. In addition, the Workgroup recommends a greater role for community pharmacists in counseling older adults on appropriate use of OTC sleep aids.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.