Sleep disruption in older informal caregivers.

Informal caregiving is a prevalent phenomenon in the United States. A review of the literature reveals that, although much research has been done regarding the areas of informal caregiver burden and the effect of sleep disruption on healthy adults, little has been done in the area of caregiving and sleep disruption, especially as it relates to older informal caregivers. Older informal caregivers represent a significant portion of the informal caregiving population and are a population at risk for high levels of sleep disturbance. Further research designed to investigate sleep disruption in older informal caregivers is needed to move toward the development of evidence-based assessment tools for practice and interventions aimed at restoring normal sleep patterns in this vulnerable population.