A few days ago I wrote about how my grandparents were having trouble falling asleep. Did you know 24% of people ages 65-84 have been diagnosed with four or more medical conditions? Of this group, 80% reported having a sleep problem according to The National Sleep Foundation. Those are high percentages and deserve some attention. I needed to learn what the experts suggest for treatment and learn some coping strategies to pass on.
The first thing I read in an NSF article was that stress , or a particulary difficult event, was the main cause for lack of sleep.
Hmmm.. especially tough for older adults. They may worryabout more people, experience deaths of friends and loved ones more often, suffer from more physical ailments, and struggle with more financial woes than other age group. All stressful situations. The article says that sleep problems usually resolve themselves over time, but I’m not sure what a reasonable amount of time is. I’m sure it’s different for everyone. Discuss this with your physician. It may be helpful to record sleep and fatigue levels throughout the day.
Surprisingly, I found the suggested coping strategies for older adults to be the same as those recommended for all adults. Many of these I’ve discussed before, but here they are again – the top eleven:
- Use the bedroom for sleep and sex only
- Consider therapy to modify attitudes that may contribute to poor sleep
- Try relaxation techniques, such as tension reduction and guided muscle relaxations
- Restrict time in bed (especially if you’re person who spends too much time lying awake)
- Take a sleep aid to help get you back on track. Just make sure to ask your doctor about how the drug will effect you and its’ addictiveness, withdrawal symptoms, and potential rebound insomnia
- Exercise in the afternoon
- Avoid stimulants such as caffeine for at least 3 or 4 hours before bed (decaf coffee contains caffeine!)
- Establish consistent bed time and rising time
- Avoid alcohol in the later evening
- Take only 20-30 minute naps in the afternoon to give you a boost for the rest of the day. Longer naps may interrupt your sleep at night.
- If you can’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed and try a quiet relaxing activity. When you feel sleepy again go back to bed. Repeat this process until you can fall asleep.
If you are an older adult reading this blog, I hope this information was helpful. If you are not an older adult, I hope you will share this information with your mom or dad, grandma or grandpa and help them get the good sleep they need to enjoy life!
By Emily S.
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