The Ohio orthopaedic surgeons at OAZ remind patients that common injuries often occur at home. In fact, new reports on osteoporotic fragility fractures show that insomnia and self-reported poor sleep are associated with increased risk of falls. This research has shown a positive relationship between falls and short sleep duration at night.

This relationship was true for women over the age of 70.

• Women who slept less than 5 hours per night were about 47 percent more likely to have fallen twice or more during the course of the study.

• If the sleep was fragmented, poor sleep efficiency and greater wake time after sleep

onset were associated with increased risk of recurrent falls.

If you fall into this category, take caution and be sure to get at least seven hours of sleep per night and talk to an Ohio orthopaedic surgeon at OAZ for additional ways you can prevent falls at home.

You can find more injury prevention tips on our Preventative Health Web page or contact Orthopaedic Associates of Zanesville at 740-454-3273.