Short Communication
Comparison of the Elderly and the Young about the Number of Swallows during Nighttime Sleep and Resting Saliva or Swallowing Reflex While Awake
2015 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 63-68
Details
2015 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 63-68
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to elucidate the actual swallowing during nighttime sleep in the elderly by comparing the number of swallows in the elderly with those in young adults, and to articulate the relationship between nighttime swallowing and either latency time of swallowing reflex (LTSR) while awake or resting saliva volume.
Subjects: The subjects were 10 adults in their twenties (young group) and 9 elderly subjects aged 65 and older (elderly group) with no history of dysphagia.
Methods: The number of swallows during nighttime sleep was determined based on waveform data from swallowing sounds recorded during sleep using an IC recorder and laryngopharynx microphone, then the young group and the elderly group were compared. In all subjects, LTSR was measured by the simple swallowing provocation test (S-SPT) while awake during the day, and resting saliva was collected before bedtime using the cotton method. And the number of swallows, resting saliva, LTSR and age were analyzed.
Results and Discussion: The mean number of swallows during nighttime sleep was 4.22±1.06/h in the elderly group and 4.39±1.26/h in the young group. This difference between the groups was not statistically significant according to an unpaired t-test. This finding is seen as the number of swallows during nighttime sleep was not affected by the aging. The LTSR was significantly longer in the elderly group than in the young group, and the resting saliva volume was significantly less in the elderly group than in the young group. However, the number of swallows, resting saliva, age and LTSR, there was no significant relationship at all. These results suggest that it is difficult to be estimated the number of swallows during nighttime sleep from LTSR, resting saliva in healthy elderly.
Conclusion: The present findings suggest that the number of swallows during nighttime sleep in the elderly may not be affected by advancing age. The state of swallowing during sleep at night was suggested that cannot assess from age, resting saliva, LTSR while awake.
