Senior, Sleep and Slumber

from health and fitness

Contrary to common perception, aging does not necessarily cause sleep problems. It is also not true that seniors need less sleep as they grow older. The sight of a senior dozing off or nodding off at inappropriate times is a portrait of serious sleep deprivation. According to experts, seniors fall asleep during the day because they are not getting enough quality sleep at night. Older adults require the same amount of sleep as they did when they were younger, that is about eight hours of sleep at night.

So, if age is not the sleep robber, then what is? Some of the sleep robbers include:

• Bodily ailments such as arthritis, physical disabilities or respiratory problems.
• Psychiatric illness such as depression.
• Illness such as heart disease, diabetes mellitus, renal failure and asthma are all associated with sleep problems and disorders.
• Life stage symptoms such as post menopause and hot flashes.
• Certain prescriptive medicines.
• Snoring - especially among those obese.
• Restless legs syndrome (RLS). This is a neurological movement disorders characterized by an irresistible urge to move the limbs. With RLS, unpleasant, tingling, creeping or pulling feelings occur mostly in the legs and it become worse in the evening, often making it difficult for seniors to sleep throughout the night.

Understanding sleep among seniors

While seniors' need for sleep does not change with age, their sleep patterns do. For a start, the body's circadian rhythms or, the biological clock that controls sleep - advances a few hours naturally as a person grows older. When that takes place, older people may feel sleepier earlier in the evening and wake up earlier the next morning compared to younger adults. This pattern is called advanced sleep phase syndrome.

Changes in sleep pattern are natural phenomenon as we age, and this may contribute to sleep problems. In a nutshell, sleep occurs in multiple stages including dreamless periods of light and deep sleep, and occasional periods of active dream (REM) sleep. The sleep cycle is often repeated several times during a night and although total sleep time tends to remain pretty constant, seniors spend more time in the lighter stages of sleep than in deep sleep. This could explain the poor quality of sleep and contribute to the nodding off the very next day.

In addition, studies on the sleep habits of older adults indicate a few interesting things, among them an increase in the time it takes to fall asleep, an overall decline in REM and an increase in sleep fragmentation (disrupted sleep with frequent waking up during the night). The prevalence of sleep disorders also tends to increase with age.

Remedies For Better Sleep

• Encourage your senior to sleep and wake up at about the same time even on the weekends. This would help to reinforce the body's sleep-wake cycle and help your senior fall asleep better at night.
• Seniors should abstain from eating or drinking in large quantity prior to bedtime. This is to avoid having to wake up repeatedly for trips to the bathroom.
• Seniors should abstain from taking any caffeine and alcohol in the evening. They should avoid smoking as well. These are stimulants that can keep your seniors awake. Smoking has been known to cause withdrawal symptoms at night and smoking in bed is hazardous too.
• Regular exercise induces more restful sleep.
• Check on the mattress. If it's lumpy, sagging or worn out, it could be time to get a new one. Opt for a comfortable mattress that offers appropriate support.
• People who share bed with partners who are restless, snore or suffer from an illness are likely to be sleep-deprived. Instead of staring at the ceiling, get one of them to move to a separate room to get some quality eye-shutter so that both seniors can rest easier at night.
• As a last resort, sleeping pills can be use provided if the insomnia is very severe. However, seek the doctor's advice as the doctor could prescribe sleeping pills that would not affect current medications and determining the best dosage.