Most of the senior citizens have the common complaint of sleeping problems.
Sleep and Aging – Senior citizens also need 7 – 9 hours of sleep like a younger person but they tend to sleep early and wake up early and also may nap during the day which might cause sleeplessness during nights. Any kind of illness or pain also causes sleeplessness. Lack of sleep in the night makes a person wake up tired in the mornings, depressed, forgetful and irritable.
Insomnia – Usually adults over 60 years of age experience insomnia. It has many causes, excitement, worry, or a side effect of a medicine or illness. This can last for days months and even years. People with insomnia take a long time to fall asleep, wake up early and cannot go back to sleep, wake up tired or wake up several times in the night.
Rather than taking prescription medicines for sleep it would be better to follow a schedule –
- Avoid napping during late afternoon and evenings.
- Go to bed and wake up at the same time everyday.
- Practice a regular bed time routine by doing the same things before going to bed every night like reading a book, watching TV or listening to music.
- Keep the bedroom at the right temperature with comfortable mattress, pillow etc.
- Avoid a large meal close to bed time and also products containing cafferine that’ll keep you awake.
- Avoid too many liquids later during the day as this may make you wake in the nights to go to the bathroom and break your sleep.
- Get enough sunlight and exercise everyday.
- Do not exercise few hours before bed time.
For service and guidance for the elderly contact the The Senior Citizens Bureau which is a national, non-profit community resource for the elderly and children of the elderly and caregivers to the aged. They offer free or low cost services and guidance to the elderly and also have an online directory and resource guide that lists various housing, product and service providers. Their national hotline, the Elder Info Line, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for senior members. To avail their services contact: 832-230-1238 or e-mail them at director@seniorcitizensbureau.com. Visit http://www.seniorcitizensbureau.net/ for more information.
Tags: caregivers, Insomnia, low cost services, non-profit, Sleep and Aging, Sleeping problems for Senior Citizens
