How Can You Troubleshoot Sleep Problems?
May 26, 2020
If your elderly family member isn’t sleeping well, that’s potentially a big problem. Your elderly family member needs to be able to get quality sleep in order to deal with health issues and to keep her immune system strong. Troubleshooting her sleep issues gets you the information you need.
Gather Some Data
The first step is always going to be gathering some data. And you might want to branch out and look at a lot of different things, like what your senior is eating, when she’s eating, and what else isn’t working right at the moment. You’ll also definitely want to look in more detail at her sleep hygiene. What time is she going to bed? How much sleep is she getting? Using a fitness tracker can sometimes help with this, especially if it tracks sleep as well.
Look at Habits
Some of your senior’s habits, like having a cup of coffee too late in the day, can be contributing factors. You might notice some of this when you’re gathering data, but some of this may feel more obscure. If your elderly family member is exercising late in the day, that can be enough to interfere with her sleep. Too much screen time right before bed can also be a problem. Try to examine every moment of an average day to see if you can spot any potential problems.
Talk to Your Senior’s Doctor
After you’ve gathered some data and looked at habits, it might be time to talk to your senior’s doctor. Take all the data you’ve collected with you and see what her doctor has to say. There may still be a need for additional tests. Her doctor may recommend some options that you and your senior haven’t considered.
Put Some Solutions in Place
Finally, it’s time to try some things out. You might go with adjusting her schedule for the day to allow for better sleep hygiene. You might consider bringing in elder care providers to help with tasks during the day that she may be finding to be too much. It’s going to take longer than one day to resolve sleep issues, so do what you can to stick with something new at least for a little bit to give it a fair chance to start working.
This may be a process that you and your senior need to pass through a couple of times in order to find the right set of answers for her. The journey is worth it, though, because when you do find the right combination, your elderly family member will find a lot of different aspects of her life may be a lot easier.
If you or your loved one is looking for Elder Care in Atherton, CA, please call Familiar Surroundings Home Care.
Santa Clara County: (408) 979-9990
San Mateo County: (650) 353-9777
Santa Cruz County: (831) 480-3990