Insomnia in the elderly
Sleep is very important for people's overall health and well-being. According to research, irregular sleep can cause many health problems including diabetes and heart diseases. The elderly are at high risk of developing diseases when they are deprived of sleep and do not get a good night's sleep. In fact, more than half of the elderly have difficulty falling asleep or have trouble staying asleep. Some of them face early morning waking and partial sleep problems.
Why is the insomnia problem very common in the elderly?
The most important reason of insomnia being very common in the elderly is various health problems. Problems with stress, anxiety and depression are cited as causes of insomnia. Some medications used may cause more difficult to fall asleep. Not being active enough during the day can also cause insomnia problem. In addition, as the person gets older, the secretion of the melatonin hormone secreted by the pineal gland, which regulates the sleep-wake cycle, decreases and as a result, the individual may experience insomnia.
Do elderly people need less sleep than young people?
This is a common belief but there is little evidence to support it. For a healthy life, most adults need seven to eight hours of sleep per day. Unfortunately, some seniors can sleep much less than these hours. Overcoming this insomnia problem due to different reasons will be a very important step for their physical and mental health. If you have a caregiver in your home or if you are about to deal with a caregiver for your parent, you can solve the sleeping problem much easier.
Experienced caregivers who are specialized in their field can support you in providing sleep patterns and produce solutions. What can caregivers do to help older people get more restful sleep?
It is very important that your parents over a certain age take their medication regularly and on time. These drugs contain tranquilizers or sleeping substances that prevent them from having insomnia at night. Therefore, caregivers who help them take their medications regularly can help you to keep your parents sleeping.
You can choose herbal mixtures for your parents who are under the control of doctors. As known, chamomile tea facilitates the transition to sleep and provides an uninterrupted sleep experience. For your parent, if you find out that you are not allergic to pollen or any ingredient in chamomile tea, your caregiver can make sure you drink freshly brewed chamomile tea every night.
Elderly people with inactivity problems often need little sleep because they are not tired at all, or they may miss 2-3 hours of sleep during the day. Therefore, during the day your caregiver should follow your instructions for your parent to act and prevent them from sleeping during the day.
You should provide the best sleeping environment for your parents who do not like heat or cold. Your carer can get to know your parent closely and prepare the ideal sleeping environment for him / her. Thus, your parent does not wake up during the night, even if he wakes up to be distracted (hot, cold, etc.) does not encounter any factor.
Health problems and drugs used
Sleep apnea is one of the most common causes of sleep disruption of the elderly. Sleep apnea of elderly people snoring at night should be checked by a doctor. Other health conditions, including lung disease, congestive heart failure, dementia and chronic pain, can also cause sleep problems.
Elderly who have bladder problems and who feel the need to urinate frequently are also often drowsy. Sometimes it is also caused by urinary tract infection As mentioned, depression and anxiety are also among other health problems that impair sleep quality.
Drugs that can cause sleep disorders include stimulant drugs affecting the central nervous system, some anti-depressants, steroids and the like. However, in some cases, normal sleep can be achieved by eliminating caffeine intake. Contrary to popular belief, alcohol can also cause sleep escape.
Finding the solution to the insomnia problem caused by drugs will be the right step. Seeing the doctor again and expressing this complaint may be effective in resolving the problem. You can ensure a good night's sleep with measures such as drug change or dose reduction.
Daytime activities and insomnia
It is observed that the elderly who are active during the day sleep longer and quality in the night. Therefore, we should encourage our loved ones to move more during the day and not to take a nap during the day.
You can go for a picnic or go hiking together. If there is no physical disability or health problem, these activities that we will do with our loved ones both affect his psychological state positively and strengthen the bond between you.
By giving responsibilities to your parents who love spending time with their grandchildren, you support daytime activities. The time spent with the grandchild, which provides great relief in psychological terms, is quite valuable. You can ask your children to read fairy tales or ask their grandchildren to teach them to plant fruit or vegetables. Your parents and children will easily experience all the negative energy in the soil.
Other ways to promote good sleep patterns
A convenient sleeping environment and reliable caregiver make it easier to fall asleep. Convince your elderly relatives that sleeping areas are not suitable for other activities, and make sure that their bedrooms are comfortable and convenient for sleeping. Too hot or too cold room temperatures make it difficult to fall asleep. Therefore, care should be taken to ensure that the temperature of the bedroom is at room temperature. Experienced caregivers will help you a lot.
It is also useful to limit fluid intake a few hours before bedtime to avoid getting up during the night. Because too much water consumption may bring a toilet need, there is a risk of waking up. For this reason, it is very important to control the need of toilet which is one of the main causes of insomnia.
It will be an important step in establishing a good sleep order to prevent him from sitting until late at night. You or your caregiver can pass on activities or responsibilities to get up 3-5 days early so that he or she can get tired and sleep early during the day. It is of course very important that you give these responsibilities or activities considering your health and physical fitness. Otherwise, she may sleep during daytime because she is tired and she may be left alone at night.
Do sleep medications help?
Prescription sleep medications are available for the elderly. However, these drugs can cause a number of side effects and also increase the risk of the elderly fall. It will be beneficial to take advantage of some natural plants that improve sleep quality. The best known of these is valerian. A cup of chamomile tea can also help to fall asleep. We would like to remind you that, as with all treatments, even non-medical, a doctor should first be consulted and approved.
Result
Insomnia and sleep problems are frequently encountered in elderly individuals. To help our elderly, we need to make sure that they do not have any physical problems. If there are no serious health problems and insomnia persists, it will be useful to increase daytime activities and clarify stress-related problems. EvdekiBakıcım, Ataşehir and Sarıyer are at your service with their expert staff in elderly care.
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