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Invited Commentary
May 13, 2013

What's to Blame for Falls and Fractures? Poor Sleep or the Sleeping Medication?Comment on “Nonbenzodiazepine Sleep Medication Use and Hip Fractures in Nursing Home Residents”

Author Affiliations

Author Affiliations: Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, and Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco.

JAMA Intern Med. 2013;173(9):761-762. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.3801

Sleep in nursing homes is both cherished yet fleeting. Most nursing home residents complain about the quality of their sleep,1 which is notable for multiple nighttime awakenings, frequent daytime naps, and a high percentage of time spent awake in bed.2 This fragmented nature of sleep can be attributed to multiple causes, including a high prevalence of primary sleep disorders (eg, central sleep apnea) and a care environment that pays little attention to sleep quality and structure.3

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