Importance of Sleep for Elderly
A good night of sleep is essential for you at any age. Sleep is especially important for the elderly. It helps to restore your energy levels and to heal many ailments. But as one ages, getting the necessary 7 to 9 hours of sleep can become difficult, due to other illnesses or conditions. This can lead to sleep deprivation/ inadequate sleep, affecting your physical and emotional wellbeing. Sleep hygiene tips for older adults/ elderly help to prevent sleep disturbance and excessive sleep in elderly
A lack of sleep is bad for elderly health. It can increase the possibility of heart disease, high blood pressure and depression. Deep sleep encourages your body to refresh and heal, so without enough sleep, your illnesses might last longer. And your pain from falls or scrapes will take longer to fade.
How Does Sleep Change with Age?
Your sleep can change as you age due to other ailments. If you suffer from joint or muscle pain, then you might find it difficult to find a comfortable position when you are lying down, or the pain might wake you up frequently.
If you have issues with continence, then you might be woken up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. If your sleep is being affected by other ailments such as pain from arthritis, then you should visit your doctor to try and help those symptoms. If after this, you are still struggling with your sleep, then there might be other things the doctor can give you to help.
Also, as you age, your melatonin levels decrease – which can affect your sleep. Melatonin is a sleep hormone that helps your body regulate your sleep cycle. Our body produces melatonin is it gets darker, and production stops when it is light again.
Suppose you are over 55 and have insomnia or other sleep disorders. In that case, your doctor might advise you to take melatonin supplements. Melatonin supplements come in tablet form and can help you fall asleep quicker and remain asleep for longer during the night. You will probably be asked to take them from between one and four weeks to try and regulate your sleeping routine.
You may experience headaches or feel sick when you take melatonin. If this happens, check back in with your doctor to make sure you are on the right dose. Melatonin supplements are not suitable for everyone, so please consult your doctor before taking any.
You might think that sleeping less or having a less restful sleep is a part of growing older, but this is not the case. Many healthy elderly people report having no problems with their sleep. If you find yourself waking up tired, then check with your doctor about what might be causing this. Or practice better sleep hygiene and daily routine to encourage better sleep. Tips for good sleep hygiene are mentioned further on in this article.
Do We Need Less Sleep As We Age? How Much Sleep Does a 70-Year-Old Need?
If you are over 70, you should need the same amount of sleep as a younger adult. It is said that between 7 and 9 hours is the average amount an adult should need. The amount of sleep you need will change from person to person, depending on what you do during the day. If you are sick or recovering from an injury, then you will need more sleep to encourage recovery.
Getting considerably less than 7 hours of sleep? – or much more than 9 hours? – then you might want to check in with your doctor. It may be that you have a sleep disorder or other condition, that is causing you problems with your sleep.
How Can Elderly Stay Asleep All Night?
There is no easy answer for sleeping throughout the night, and it depends on what is causing you to wake up in the night.
You might be able to sleep better through the night by getting help with your other symptoms that are causing your sleeplessness. For example, if you are waking up with hip pain, getting help from a doctor or physiotherapist could help you sleep better. Doctor/ physiotherapist can help you work on exercises that can improve your pain as well as offering any medication that can help.
And if you are experiencing chronic incontinence, then make sure not to eat or drink for a few hours before you go to sleep. That can help prevent any accidents. You could also wear incontinence pants, or pull-down incontinence pads, or sheets. Then you know that even if you have an accident, it won’t matter too much as you’re well protected.
With a sleep disorder such as insomnia or sleep apnea, you can get help for these from the doctor. And you can learn a little more about them in the next section.
Sleep Disorders in Elderly
The most common elderly sleep disorders are insomnia; sleep breathing disorders such as sleep apnea or snoring; and movement disorders such as restless leg syndrome.
Each of these sleep disorders is relatively common; a doctor or medical professional can help.
You might be able to relieve insomnia by developing a sleep routine, and practising good sleep hygiene. However, if the insomnia is chronic/ ongoing, then seeing a doctor will help ensure you don’t become sleep deprived – or cause yourself any harm.
If you suffer from sleep-disordered breathing – or movement disorders – getting help from a doctor is your best bet for a good night’s sleep. That is because those disorders need medication or medical aids to make them better.
Sleep Disorders in Elderly: Insomnia
Symptoms of Insomnia in Elderly
Insomnia is one of the most common sleep complaints in people of any age, but more than half of people aged 60 and over suffer from it. If you have insomnia, then:
- it might take you over 30 minutes to fall asleep
- you might wake up many times during the night
- or wake early and not be able to fall back asleep
- you might wake up tired
Causes of Insomnia in Elderly
Short-term insomnia that lasts a month or so can be caused by a medical or psychiatric condition. It can also be caused by a change in your circumstances – such as moving houses, being hospitalised or losing a loved one.
Sleep Disorders in Elderly: Nocturia
The most common cause of longer-term insomnia in the elderly is the need to use the bathroom. Enlarged prostate or other incontinence problems, can cause you to need to use the bathroom many times during the night. Needing to use the bathroom a lot at night (nocturia) might also lead to falls. Nocturia falls might be caused by the environment/ rooms being dark; plus you might feel the need to rush to the bathroom; combined with a sense of disorientation when you haven’t had enough sleep or wake up suddenly.
Getting help with any bladder or bowel issues could help you sleep easier through the night.
Sleep Disorders in Elderly: Health conditions
Health conditions such as heart failure, lung disease and Parkinson’s can make it more difficult for you to fall asleep. But the medications you take to ease the symptoms might also cause you trouble sleeping. Again, consult with your doctor about the best way to work around your medication and situation so that you can get better sleep at night.
Heartburn, arthritis, menopause or cancer can all cause you to be uncomfortable during the night. You can ask your doctor about the best medications to take to help with these symptoms, illnesses or disorders. You might be given tablets, specifically to help you sleep. Or medication to relieve the symptom such as an anti-inflammatory or acid reflux tablets.
Sleep Disorders in Elderly: Lifestyle
Other causes of insomnia might be due to your lifestyle. If you are less mobile than you once were, then you will be exercising less. That can directly affect how tired you feel. You might also find yourself napping throughout the day either as you are tired from a restless night’s sleep or potentially from boredom. That is a vicious cycle that will continue to affect your sleep at night time. If you can work out what it is causing you poor sleep, then you can start to fix the problems. And should eventually get back into a better sleep routine.
Elderly Sleep Disorders
Elderly Sleep Disorder: Sleep Disordered Breathing
Another reason you might be having patchy sleep during the night is because of sleep-disordered breathing. Sleep-disordered breathing affects your ability to breathe while you are asleep. That could be caused by snoring or sleep apnea. Sleep-disordered breathing could be causing you to sleep lighter than you might typically, or they might be actively waking you up during the night.
Snoring: This is a blockage in the passage between your nose, mouth and lungs. That causes the air passage to vibrate, which leads to the snoring sounds. Snoring affects more than 40 percent of adults and can cause you to wake up during the night, meaning you will be tired during the day. It can also cause your partner to have a poor sleep.
In general, you can help reduce/ stop/ prevent snoring by losing weight; drinking less alcohol; and by sleeping on your side. If none of these lifestyle changes makes a difference, then you might want to see a doctor in case you are suffering from sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea: There are two types of sleep apnea: obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.
Obstructive sleep apnea is when the air you breathe in is partially or completed blocked. That can be caused by extra tissue at the back of the nose or mouth, or by being overweight. Obstructive sleep apnea is more common in older adults. It can lead to high blood pressure, strokes, heart disease and cognitive problems.
Central sleep apnea is when your brain does not send the right signals to trigger your breathing. This type of sleep apnea is less common. However, if you suffer from one kind of sleep apnea, then you will most likely suffer from both.
Also, suppose you have epilepsy or another condition that causes seizures, you might be more likely to experience them during the night. You’ll need your doctor or carers help with these conditions, so they can help you manage your symptoms.
Elderly Sleep Disorder: Movement Disorders
There are a couple of movement disorders that can cause havoc to your sleep, such as Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) or Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD).
Both disorders cause you to move your limbs while you are asleep, causing you to wake up and ruining your sleep. Usually, both disorders will occur at the same time.
Restless Leg Syndrome is common in older adults and affects 20 percent of people aged 80 and over. If you suffer from RLS, then you might experience uncomfortable feelings in your legs such as tingling, crawling, pins and needles. RLS has been linked to iron deficiency, kidney failure and dialysis, pregnancy and nerve abnormalities.
Periodic Limb Movement Disorder causes you to jerk or kick your legs every 20 to 40 seconds. PLMD affects roughly 40 percent of older adults in mild to severe forms.
Both of these disorders will make it more difficult to fall asleep and to stay asleep. They might also affect anyone you are sharing a bed with. Check with your doctor about what you can do to ease your movement disorders. They might prescribe iron supplements or magnesium sprays to help relax your muscles.
Elderly Sleep Disorder: Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Disorder
Another cause of sleep loss is Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Disorder (RSD).
REM is your most active stage of sleep when you are dreaming. Generally, during the REM stage of sleep, your eyes will move back and forth under your eyelids, and you won’t be able to move your muscles. However, in more severe forms, you might be able to move and act out in your sleep. You might also experience vivid dreams with vocal sounds.
RSD is most common in men over the age of 50 and is linked to other neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s or Lewy body dementia. If you are suffering from this behavioural sleep disorder, then you should seek help from your doctor or sleep specialist. They will be able to help you figure out what is causing this sleep disorder. And hopefully, help you find something to calm it down, so you get a better night’s sleep.
Elderly Sleep Disorder: Bruxism
Your sleep might also be affected by bruxism which is the grinding of your teeth. You might find yourself grinding your teeth in your sleep as well as when you are awake. Causes of Bruxism include stress or anxiety.
Grinding your teeth can also lead to further pain in your jaw and cheekbones and can even cause headaches. If this is the case, then you should consult your dentist. They can either help with any denture issues, or get you fitted with a mouthguard. A mouthguard can prevent you from grinding your teeth when you sleep.
Before you are fitted with a mouth guard, you might be asked to set yourself a few alarms throughout the day. Whenever these alarms go off, you can actively check to see if you are clenching or grinding your teeth. If you are, then the alarm gives you that nudge to relax and unclench any tension in your teeth and your entire body.
After a few days of these, you will get into the routine of checking in with your body, and it will become second nature to stop grinding your teeth.
However, you might still find that you will grind your teeth in your sleep, which is where a mouthguard can be useful.
Treatments: Getting Help with Sleeping Problems in Elderly
If you are having problems with your sleep in any way, then you should set up an appointment with your doctor to see what they can do to help. It might be useful to take a sleep diary from a week in your life to show the doctor.
It might also be helpful to take the person you share your bed with – or your carer – so they can report to the doctor what they notice about your sleep from the outside. That is especially helpful if you suffer from sleep-disordered breathing or movement disorders.
The doctor will likely ask you about your lifestyle, exercise, diet, caffeine and alcohol consumption as these can all affect your sleep. They will then look into what might be causing your sleeplessness. That could be your lifestyle, side effects from your medications, or other conditions such as Parkinson’s or heart disease.
If needed, your doctor might refer you to a sleep clinic. There, sleep experts can run tests such as a polysomnogram, an overnight sleep study, or a nap test.
Depending on what the doctor or sleep specialist finds there are an array of treatments that can help you.
- They might ask you to change parts of your lifestyle, such as getting more exercise, drinking less caffeine late in the day or lowering alcohol consumption.
- You might be advised to sleep in a quiet, dark room,
- Spend less time in your bed when you are not sleeping
- Use bright lights when you wake up to kick start your circadian rhythm, which is your 24-hour body clock.
- You might be offered medication that can help with your sleep. That could be an anti-histamine or anti-depressant medication that has drowsy effects.
If you are diagnosed with sleep apnea, then the doctor might ask you to lose weight or adjust your sleep position. For more severe cases, you might be put onto the use of a nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine.
A CPAP machine keeps your air passage open, with a steady stream of air pressure. That will come from an air pressure tank at the side of your bed, through a mask you will wear whenever you sleep, including during naps.
In more extreme cases, you might have the option to undergo surgery to remove any excess tissue in your air passage that is causing the blockage.
Suppose you have been diagnosed with movement disorders. In that case, it might be treated with the same medication used to treat Parkinson’s. And suppose the movement is caused by iron deficiency. In which case, you might be advised to take iron supplements to keep your iron levels higher.
You will find that there are lots of things you can do yourself to help your sleep, such as having good sleep hygiene and a good routine.
Sleep Hygiene for Elderly
Sleep Hygiene for Elderly: Caffeine
Good sleep hygiene for the elderly, starts through the day. Making sure you don’t have caffeine too late in the day can make it much easier to fall asleep at night. Some people can have caffeine until 5 pm, others until noon and some not at all. Try cutting back the time you drink coffee at and see what is best for you. If you find caffeine is still an ongoing issue for you, then you can try switching to decaffeinated.
Sleep Hygiene for Elderly: Keeping Active
Keeping active throughout the day can also help you to get a good night’s sleep. On those days that you do less, you might find yourself unable to fall asleep at night. A short walk around your garden, to the shops, or to see your friend/ family member could help you work off any excess energy you have. Those will make it easier for you to sleep.
Sleep Hygiene for Elderly: Alcohol
Keeping your alcohol consumption to a minimum or stopping altogether will help keep your sleep healthy. You might feel that alcohol helps you fall asleep, but the rest you get is of a lower quality than if you had not had any alcohol.
Sleep Hygiene for Elderly: Set Routine
Having a set routine can be one of the best things you do to help your sleep. For a lot of people, this isn’t an easy step to implement. It depends on what you are used to. And maybe even due to the hours your carer needs to keep.
However, the more you practise the same routine daily, the more your body will click into it. Your routine could be having a shower/ bath before going to bed – or any of the other sleep hygiene practices listed above. They help you relax and lets your body know that it is time to start winding down for sleep.
You could also make sure that an hour or so before bed, you stop looking at screens. No phones, computers or television. Instead, you could read or meditate. That helps your eyes and brain get ready for sleep.
Sleep Hygiene for Elderly: Low Lights
Being in a low-light room when you are getting ready to go to sleep will help your body’s circadian rhythm kick in. Circadian rhythm follows the rising and setting of the sun. Artificial light can trick our bodies into thinking it is still daytime. However, suppose you are worried about the possibility of falling in the dark, during the night. In that case, you can leave a small night-light on through the night. Or use the light from a hallway or bathroom to lead the way. Your safety comes first.
Sleep Hygiene for Elderly: Natural Remedies
There are a few natural remedies for sleep to help the elderly. The best natural treatment might be spraying lavender on your pillows. That helps create a calm environment for you to fall asleep in. You can also get heat packs that smell like lavender. These can help keep you warm through the night and also help to soothe any aches or pains you have from the day or that you might get from lying down in bed.
Other remedies are having warm milk with honey or drinking sleepy teas. Most tea brands sell a sleepy tea bag of sorts, such as this Twinings Sleep. It contains spiced apple, vanilla, camomile and passionflowers. That can be a part of your night-time routine and your sleep hygiene.
Should Elderly People Take Naps?
You might have heard that taking naps is bad and can disrupt your sleep in the evening. For some people, this might be the case. Nonetheless, if you find yourself sleeping through the night and still needing to nap, then your body might need a little more rest.
If you feel like you or the person you are caring for is sleeping excessively, then get (them) checked out by a doctor. That is just in case there may be something causing this fatigue. However, as you’ve probably noticed, a 20 to 30-minute nap can help boost alertness and mental performance.
Research recently found that an hour-long nap in older people can improve their cognitive function. If you are going to take a nap, make sure to take it earlier in the afternoon and make sure you are in a comfortable, quiet and dark place for ultimate rest.
Sleep Problems in Elderly – Sleep Deprivation
Sleep-Deprived Meaning
Sleep deprivation is the condition of not getting enough sleep. This means the amount of sleep you are getting as well as the quality of sleep you are getting. Sleep deprivation is more than being a little tired and grumpy. Not getting the proper amount of sleep affects every part of one’s body.
Signs and Symptoms of Severe Sleep Deprivation
The main sign of sleep deprivation is fatigue. One will be tired when they wake up, and throughout the day. Fatigue can be the symptom of other conditions such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
It’s essential to check in with your doctor, if you feel that your fatigue is more than being tired from lack of sleep. Other symptoms of severe sleep deprivation include irritability, mood changes, having difficulty focusing or remembering things, and a decreased sex drive.
How Many Hours is Sleep Deprivation?
This might vary from person to person as one person might be able to function on 7 hours a night while others need more. If you are consistently getting less than 7 hours of sleep a night, then you are most likely sleep-deprived.
Short Term Effects of Sleep Deprivation
If you have lost sleep for a short amount of time, then you might not have any effects of sleep deprivation. It is when your lack of sleep is prolonged over a long period, that you begin to feel other symptoms.
Elderly Sleep Deprivation Effects
The long-term effects of sleep deprivation reach throughout your body. Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to problems, from the nervous system to one’s memory.
There is much more to sleep deprivation than just feeling tired. Suppose you are experiencing any of these symptoms. In that case, you might need to take steps to improve the quantity and quality of sleep you are getting.
Sleep deprivation affects almost our entire body systems. These include the:
Elderly Sleep Deprivation Effects: Central Nervous System
Sleep deprivation can alter the central nervous system. Your central nervous system is how your body and brain communicate. It needs sleep to keep it working correctly. Not sleeping enough can make your brain exhausted, and not function properly.
Inadequate sleep negatively affects one’s memory and emotions. One might feel prone to mood swings, or feeling more impatient than usual. Insufficient sleep can also affect creativity, as well as the ability to make decisions.
If sleep deprivation is left to get worse, then one might start hallucinating – seeing or hearing things that aren’t there. Hallucinations might also trigger mania in people with bipolar disorder. It might make one feel depressed, paranoid, suicidal or anxious.
Long-term sleep deprivation can lead to people experiencing micro-sleeps – where one falls asleep for several seconds without realising. This can make driving or operating machinery/equipment/ tools hazardous, as one has no control over one’s sleep state at that time.
Elderly Sleep Deprivation Effects: Immune System
Sleep deprivation can also affect the immune system. While you sleep, your immune system is building its defences to fight off bacteria and viruses. If it isn’t allowed to do this, then one will catch infections/sicknesses more easily. It will also take longer to recover afterwards. The immune system will be compromised.
Inadequate sleep changes our fever response. Our body fights infection with a fever. Fevers are usually triggered during sleep, which is why fevers are worse at night-time. But if you are not sleeping, then this process won’t be kickstarted, and you will not be fighting infection as you should.
Not getting enough sleep for long periods can also increase one’s risk of heart disease and diabetes mellitus.
Elderly Sleep Deprivation Effects: Respiratory System
Sleep and the respiratory system form a complicated relationship. Sleep-disordered breathing such as snoring or sleep apnea can cause you to wake up during the night, leading to sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation can lead to you catching colds and cases of flu much more easily than if you got enough sleep. Colds and flu can then lead to problems with the lungs.
Not sleeping enough can also lead to pre-existing respiratory conditions – such as chronic lung illness – worse.
Elderly Sleep Deprivation Effects: Digestive System
A lack of sleep can disrupt your digestive system. When you sleep, hormones such as leptin and ghrelin are regulated. Leptin tells you when you have had enough to eat, and ghrelin is an appetite stimulant. When you are sleep deprived, leptin is reduced, and ghrelin is increased, leading to eating more.
Sleep deprivation will also alter your body’s production of insulin and can lower your body’s tolerance for glucose. These can lead to diabetes and obesity. When you are tired, you won’t feel like exercising, and this will affect your eating, your weight as well as your future sleep.
Cardiovascular System
Sleep deprivation affects the cardiovascular system. Sleep is needed to keep the heart and blood vessels happy, helping them to heal and repair. A lack of sleep can cause issues with inflammation, blood sugar levels and blood pressure. It can also lead to cardiovascular disease.
Studies have shown that there is a link between insomnia – a chronic lack of sleep – and the increased risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Elderly Sleep Deprivation Effects: Hormone Production
A lack of sleep can affect your hormone production. During sleep, hormones such as testosterone and growth hormones are created and released into the body. A lack of these can affect the building of muscle mass and the repairing of cells and tissue.
Inadequate sleep can also cause the release of stress hormones, putting even more pressure on your mind and body.
Elderly Sleep Deprivation Effects: Balance
Sleep deprivation can also cause issues with balance. That could lead to trips and falls, causing further damage to the body. And if you continue to have a lack of sleep, then the healing process for these falls will be longer than average.
Elderly Sleep Deprivation Effects: Headaches and Migraines
Research shows that people who suffer from headaches or migraines can often find that sleep disturbances trigger their headaches/migraines. Those who slept six hours or less every night suffered from more headaches than those that sleep for longer.
Elderly Sleep Deprivation Effects: Hair Loss
Hair loss due to sleep deprivation can happen for a couple of reasons.
With a lack of sleep comes a lack of melatonin production. Melatonin increases hair growth. A decrease in the production of melatonin could cause a reduction in hair growth.
Poor sleep can also lead to stress levels increasing, and stress can cause telogen effluvium hair loss. Telogen effluvium hair loss is when stress pushes hair into a premature resting state, which is followed by a shedding phase.
Sleep Deprivation Stages
The first stage of sleep deprivation starts in the first 24 hours of being awake. Most people can handle this as a one-off. But as the hours and days go by without adequate sleep, sleep deprivation becomes a real challenge.
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 24-hour sleep deprivation is equal to a blood alcohol level of 0.10 – which is higher than the limit to drive. Twenty-four hours of no sleep can leave you irritable, angry, drowsy and unable to concentrate properly.
After 36 hours of sleep deprivation, one begins to have an overwhelming urge to sleep. It is here that microsleeps kick in. One will start having memory issues, impaired decision making, slow reactions, as well as increased appetite, inflammation, and impaired immune function.
By 48 hours of sleep deprivation, one might begin to hallucinate. And extremely tired, increasingly irritable, with heightened stress and anxiety.
When you reach 72 hours of sleep deprivation, the urge to sleep will be much worse. Also, hallucinations might become worse with depersonalisation and delusions beginning.
At 96 hours of sleep deprivation, one enters what is called sleep deprivation psychosis. One’s grasp of reality will be severely distorted, and the urge to sleep will be intense.
Sleep deprivation psychosis should go away with adequate sleep.
Causes of Sleep Deprivation in elderly
Many things can cause sleep deprivation. Some reasons include
- A sleep condition such as insomnia or sleep apnea
- Sleeping in an uncomfortable position, or bed, or in a room that is too hot, or cold, or not dark enough.
- Being stressed about any number of issues
- Suffering from depression or anxiety that keeps one awake at night.
- Using electronic devices too close to bedtime. This can keep one awake as it alters the body’s circadian rhythm.
- Other medical conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome, or from chronic pain.
- Substance abuse. This can affect the quantity as well as the quality of your sleep.
Sleep Deprivation Treatment
The best treatment for sleep deprivation is… Sleep. It may take time to recover from chronic sleep deprivation, but it can be done.
According to sleepfoundation.org, It takes four days to recover from one hour of sleep deprivation. So do try sleeping a little longer every day. You want to go to bed earlier – and then try sleeping in, in the mornings. That includes taking naps.
Try taking a 30-minute nap to help get rid of your sleep deprivation, and the symptoms that come with it.
If you are experiencing sleep deprivation caused by a sleep disorder – as mentioned above – then getting help from a doctor or sleep specialist can help you get a better night’s sleep. This might be with the use of medication, or breathing devices such as those for sleep apnea.
Keeping a good daily routine and sleep hygiene can go a long way in helping you prevent, as well as treat sleep deprivation.
Having a comfortable mattress and bedding, a room set to the right temperature and the right level of low light can help you sleep better. You might also find the use of light therapy useful. You can use elderly bedroom night lamps or sunset and sunrise clocks to reset your circadian rhythm. These imitate the sun and can help you sleep much better.
Exercise and sleep deprivation can be difficult to manage, as you might feel too tired to get exercise. With exercise, you have to listen to your own body. Getting enough exercise can help give you a better night of sleep; however, if exercising will take away from your sleep then you do need to find the right balance between the two.
Many different things can cause excessive sleep in the elderly. You might be waking up a lot throughout the night, due to a sleeping disorder as mentioned above; Or due to needing the bathroom; Or because of aches and pains. That can lead to you – or the person you are caring for – want to sleep a lot during the day.
Be sure to get the help you need, for any disorders that can ge as you might feel too tired to get exercise. With this, you have to listen to your own body. Getting enough exercise can help give you a better night of sleep, but if exercising takes away from your sleep, then you need to find the right balance between the two.
Excessive Sleep in Elderly
Many different things can cause excessive sleep in the elderly. You might be waking up a lot throughout the night, due to a sleeping disorder as mentioned above; Or due to needing the bathroom; Or because of aches and pains. That can lead to you – or the person you are caring for – want to sleep a lot during the day.
Be sure to get the help you need, for any disorders that can cause problems with your sleep.
Daytime tiredness can also be caused by certain medications such as those for anxiety, pain or allergies. Drowsiness can be a side-effect leading you to want to nap during the day. However, naps might be caused by boredom in the elderly.
If you are unable to do things during the day that you used to such as going for walks, shopping or visiting friends and family, then you might find yourself napping to pass the time.
This loss of ability as well as the potential loss of loved ones and lifestyle changes might cause the eldelry to become depressed. Deppression can also affect elderly sleep, sometimes causing one to sleep more and sometimes less.
With dementia, one might also have problems with adequate sleep.
Excessive Sleep in Elderly can be treated, so if you’re affected, do seek help from your doctor to see what can help.
Confusion in Elderly After Sleeping
Suppose you or the person you are caring for suffers from confusion after sleeping. In that case, this might be a symptom of delirium or dementia. It can also occur with depression or psychosis, and both are symptoms of sleep deprivation. If this is a new symptom, then you should check in with your doctor to see what could be confusing and to receive the right care.
Elderly Sleeping All the Time Not Eating or Elderly Sleeping with Eyes Open
If it is normal for you or the person you are caring for, to eat little and sleep a lot; or to sleep with your eyes open; then this might not be a problem. However, if these are new experiences, then you might want to check with your nurse or doctor as these could be a signal for the elderly at their end of life.
It is normal for someone at the end of their life to stop wanting to eat or to sleep more than usual. The Hospice UK website has more information on what to expect if someone is nearing their end of life. They can also offer support for you and your loved ones if you are going through this.
Extra Sleep Tips for Older Adults
This article has outlined some sleep tips for older adults, but there are a few other things you can try.
- Make sure you are not going to bed hungry, as this might keep you awake. Have a small snack at supper time, such as low-fat yoghurt or cereal.
- Avoid any large meals that could sit heavy in your stomach as you sleep. It is also good to stay away from spicy meals or meals with lots of onion and garlic late at night as these can trigger acid reflux which can be made worse when lying down.
- Lower your intake of sugary foods or refined carbs such as white bread and chips as they can interrupt your sleep, pulling you out of the restorative stages.
- Cutting down on how much liquid you have in the evening can also lower your need to use the toilet during the night.
- If you are worried during the night, then having a loved one or carer there for you might help you sleep better.
Best Recliner for Elderly to Sleep In
If you find yourself taking naps while you are out of bed, then you might want to have a chair that is comfortable for you. There are many options for recliners that are both comfortable and accessible. Many of these recliners will be electrically operated to help you to get in and out of the chair comfortably.
A recliner chair is a high mobility investment. The correct elderly seating options are crucial to your overall health and mobility. The right chairs/ seats help to protect and support your posture. They also help in preventing pressure sores, which are quite uncomfortable/ painful at the least.
We would advise you to try out a number of recliner chairs from your local mobility/ independent living store. Your local mobility centre will personally guide you, to get the perfect fit and after-sales package ideal for your particular reclining needs – Either for sitting in, or lying down in.
Best Sleeping Position for Elderly
The best sleeping position for the elderly depends on the individual. As a general rule, refrain from sleeping on your stomach as it can uncomfortably twist your body; put pressure on certain nerves. Otherwise, you should find a position that is most comfortable for you.
If you have a bad right hip, then try sleeping on your left side with your knees bent. You can also put a pillow between your knees for more support and to relieve pressure. Also, be sure to sleep with the right number of pillows so that you aren’t forcing your neck forward.
If you sleep on your back, then you might benefit from a pillow under your knees for extra support. There are memory foam pillows or adjustable pillows that you can buy, that can make lying down and sleeping much more comfortable.
Conclusion
We have outlined a few different things that can affect the sleep of the elderly. Hopefully, you found some really relevant and helpful tips here to help you get a better night’s sleep. Sleep hygiene and sleep routines are very individual things to figure out. Something that works for one person might not work for you. You want to try things out and see what works best for you.
The right sleeping conditions can improve how long you sleep for as well as the quality of sleep you get. However, good sleep hygiene can only go so far. If you are suffering from a sleep disorder or are not getting sleep due to other ailments, then you might need help that only a doctor can provide.
In conclusion, if you are worried about anything to do with your sleep, and have tried the strategies listed here without success, then do check in with your doctor. They will guide you on what options are available to you, to get a good nights sleep.
