Effects of eszopiclone on sleep quality and cognitive function in elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease and sleep disorder: A randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of eszopiclone on sleep quality and cognitive function in elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and sleep disorders. METHODS: This study was a prospective study of 96 elderly patients with AD and sleep disturbance treated in our hospital from April 2019 to December 2020. All patients were divided into a control group (48 patients, given alprazolam tablets) and a study group (48 patients, given eszopiclone) according to the random number table method. RESULTS: After treatment, compared with the control group, the study group had lower sleep latency, daytime function, sleep disturbance, sleep efficiency, sleep quality, sleeping time, and hypnotic medication scores (p < .05). After treatment, sleep progression and sleep architecture improvement were more obvious in the study group compared with the control group (p < .05). After treatment, compared with the control group, the rhythm disturbance, psychotic disorder, hallucination, phobic anxiety, and disorder in the study group improved more significantly (p < .05). After treatment, compared with the control group, the scores of orientation, attention, memory, calculation, recall, and language ability in the study group improved more significantly (p < .05). After treatment, the scores of the physical life self‐care scale and instrumental activities of daily living scale in the study group were improved more obviously compared with the control group, with significant differences (p < .05). CONCLUSION: Eszopiclone can effectively improve the quality of sleep and cognitive function in elderly patients with AD and sleep disorder.