Elder Care: What Sleep Problems Are the Most Common for Seniors
Is your elderly loved one having sleep problems recently? If so, it may be a good idea to learn about the common sleep issues that many elder citizens have. By learning about these conditions, you and their elder care providers could potentially help to get your elderly loved one the treatment they need, so they can start sleeping better.
Advanced Sleep Phase Disorder
Elder Care Reedley CA – Elder Care: What Sleep Problems Are the Most Common for Seniors
Have you ever heard of advanced sleep phase disorder? This is a sleep condition in which the circadian rhythm is messed up. Basically, when someone has ASPD, their body can’t properly regulate when they need to be awake or asleep. Is your elderly loved one experience any of these symptoms:
- Extreme tiredness earlier in the day
- Waking up at early morning hours such as 3 a.m. and not being able to fall back asleep
- Trying to fight tiredness but that only makes it worse
- Sleep deprivation
- Sleeping more during the daytime hours
If they are having these symptoms, it may be a good idea for you or a personal care at home provider to take them to see their doctor. In order to be diagnosed with this condition, your elderly loved one may need various tests or even to see a specialist. However, if they do have this disorder and get a diagnosis, there are some treatments that can help to improve their sleep quality.
Insomnia
Almost every adult has some issues sleeping at night. For example, there may be some nights that you can’t fall asleep until hours later than you usually do or you may wake up multiple times during the night. However, when not being able to sleep becomes a regular thing as it does for many senior citizens and others, insomnia may be diagnosed. There are many things that can cause insomnia such as:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Medication side effects
If you or a home care provider have your elderly loved one see a doctor, hopefully, they can help to find the cause of the insomnia. Then, treatments can be given to help your elderly loved one sleep better.
Sleep Apnea
Another common sleep problem for many senior citizens is sleep apnea. If your elderly loved one has this condition they may experience:
- Waking up from not breathing
- Choking on air during their sleep
- Excessively loud snoring
- Having to sleep upright in order to get quality sleep
Sleep apnea affects millions of people. However, there are treatments that can help a person to sleep better.
You and Elder Care Providers Keep a Watch on Problems
These are some common sleep problems for senior citizens. If you or an elder care provider notice any of the above-noted symptoms in your elderly loved one, you should have them seen by a doctor.
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4406253/
If you or an aging loved one are considering Elder Care Services in Reedley CA, please contact the caring staff at Everlight Home Care today. Call us at 559-353-2847.
This combination of experiences has afforded Gina a unique view of the needs of the aging and the disabled and how to best serve those needs in a home setting.
Gina’s Central Valley roots run deep. She earned her BA degree from Fresno State in 1993 and has lived and worked in Fresno for the past 20 years. In addition to raising her family in Fresno, she is actively involved in her local church and is a volunteer for various local community organizations.
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