5 Tips To Avoid Sleep Disorder In Your Loved One
Sleep disorders are a very common condition in some older adults. Sleep disorders can be defined as problems falling asleep, staying asleep for a long time, excessive sleep, or abnormal behaviors while sleeping. Some causes of these sleep disorders can be Alzheimer’s disease, certain medications, chronic diseases, coffee, nicotine, and others.
Having this disorder can often harm your loved one’s health, because, as we all know, getting enough sleep is essential for anyone’s health, especially an older adult’s.
Doctors recommend that older adults get about 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. The fact that an older adult has a deep sleep can often be complicated since, with age, sleep changes and can be easily interrupted by noise, the respective desire to go to the bathroom, lack of physical activity, nerves, muscle pain, etc.
That being said, we will give you five tips so that your loved one can have the best sleep possible and their health will not be affected:
- Make sure your loved one avoids heavy meals.
Especially shortly before bedtime, falling asleep with a full stomach often causes discomfort at night, as well as making you want to go to the bathroom while your loved one is asleep.
- Avoid stimulants like caffeine.
At least 3 or 4 hours before going to sleep, because, as we all know, caffeine has an energizing capacity and can alter biorhythms and change the hours of sleep of your loved one.
- Exercise at regular times of the day.
Exercise causes a feeling of well-being; it can increase the levels of melatonin, a hormone related to sleep, which has a positive impact, causing a decrease in states of insomnia. It is recommended that your loved one not engage in physical activity approximately 3 hours before going to sleep.
- Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.
Maintaining a daily bedtime routine and going to bed at the same time every day would help your loved one fall asleep faster. In addition to this, it also improves health and mood.
- Avoid using tobacco products.
Especially before going to sleep. Nicotine, like caffeine, is a nervous system stimulant whose consumption decisively affects our sleep patterns.
Other factors such as limiting naps, sleeping in a warm, calm, and quiet room, and limiting foods such as chocolate, cola drinks, etc. can also promote sleep in older people. Although the number of hours is a key part of the sleep routine, it is not always the most important thing. You must be aware of the depth of sleep and how restful it is.
When you look for and support your loved ones, you always want the best care possible for them. We offer companion referral services for seniors who would benefit from having company that can also assist with basic daily living needs.
Making the choice for how to best support your aging loved ones can be difficult. Give us a call to learn more about our in-home referral services and to schedule a free in-home consultation so that we can help you make a decision that best fits your personal needs. We can be reached at (786) 518-3622 in Miami-Dade or (954) 949-1332 in Broward.
