SIMPLY turning up the lights during the day might help elderly people sleep
better. Difficulty sleeping is one of the main reasons people over 65 visit the
doctor, so if the trick works, it could have big benefits.
Stephany Biello of the University of Glasgow got the idea after studying the
activity patterns of ageing hamsters. She found that their sleep became
increasingly disrupted as their internal body clocks deteriorated. “Just like
humans, they sleep badly, wake up earlier and nap a lot,” Biello says.
But she found that sleep quality could be improved in some animals. By simply
increasing…
