How Can You Solve Some of the More Unusual Reasons for Elderly Insomnia?
February 14, 2018
Being unable to sleep is not fun for your aging adult. It can make one of the happiest and least restrictive times of her life extremely difficult for her. Here are a few things that might be contributing to her lack of sleep.
Home Care in Menlo Park CA: Reasons for Insomnia
Medication Side Effects.
If your elderly family member takes more than a few medications, it's important to note that sometimes those side effects can compound. That means that one or two medications may have a side effect that is more likely to keep your elderly family member awake. But taking three or four that have the same side effect makes the problem exponentially worse. Make sure that you talk with her doctor about side effects and how they could impact her sleep.
Chronic Pain.
Even if your senior has solutions to help her manage her chronic pain, it's important to note that breakthrough pain can sometimes be worse at night. Your aging family member might wake up after only a few hours of sleep in pain and be unable to get back to sleep. Again, it's important to talk with her doctor to see if a medication change or other solution might help.
Waking up to Urinate.
Waking up often because she has to go to the bathroom can be incredibly frustrating for your aging family member. And depending on how far away the bathroom is, she might be even more frustrated. Bedside toilets or even urinals could help her to stay in bed or closer to it so that she can get back to sleep more readily.
Daytime Boredom.
If your elderly family member is bored during the day or less active overall, she may have trouble getting to sleep at night. This can be especially frustrating if you have to work during the day or are otherwise occupied. One idea is to hire home care providers who can offer both companionship and mental stimulation to keep your senior on her toes during the day. By the end of the day, she may be more ready for sleep.
Restless Leg Syndrome.
Restless leg syndrome can keep your aging family member from falling asleep or it can wake her up throughout the night. Talk with her doctor about potential treatments that can help. Some people find that exercise during the day helps quite a bit at night.
Figuring out the cause of the insomnia is the first step, of course. Once you realize that it might be one of these more unusual issues, you can start to get creative about the solutions you might try.