According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, more than 70 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders. This week, the sleep industry’s biggest convention of the year drew some 5,400 medical experts and sales reps to Minneapolis. That’s about 10 times the number who came in 1990, when the city last hosted the event.

“Many physicians assume that when an older patient has insomnia, and is given a hypnotic drug to help induce sleep, the drug will make the patient likely to fall and develop a hip fracture,” says Avidan. “But our findings suggest that people whose insomnia is effectively treated are less likely to fall than untreated insomniacs.”

It is recommended that older adults get seven to eight hours of sleep each night for good health and optimum performance. Unfortunately, many older adults often get less sleep than they need. One reason is that they often have more trouble falling asleep.

…using recent research that shows people need seven cycles of sleep for the best rest, the maker of the Sleep Number bed is investigating new products that would help regulate those rhythms with natural sleep aids like lighting control and watches that calculate a body’s high and low points during the day…