The relationship between alertness and sleep in a population of 769 elderly insomniacs with and without treatment with zolpidem

The sleep and life rhythms of 769 insomniacs aged more than 65 years were recorded during a period of 3 months before and after a treatment with 5 mg or 10 mg zolpidem per day during 27 days. The patients were selected by general practitioners throughout France: all had been suffering from insomnia for more than 3 weeks and were included in the study whether they had or had not been treated for these sleep disturbances. The evaluation of sleep and life rhythms was made by both the practitioners and the patients during 3 months. A single course of 5 or 10 mg per day of zolpidem during 27 days seemed sufficient to improve sleep parameters and increase alertness in a large percentage of insomniacs, thus establishing a clear relationship between sleep and alertness in the elderly.