We have all heard that sleep is important to our overall health and our ability to function well on a day to day basis. Senior homecare experts note that sleep has a significant impact on seniors overall health and wellbeing, and offer suggestions for addressing issues related to lack of sleep.
Why do we need sleep? Sleep helps us refresh and recharge. It helps our body fight any health problems we may be facing. It helps us form our long term memories and process and organize the events of the day into our memory. Getting enough sleep can help prevent the progression of many diseases, help prevent falls and help us avoid developing anxiety, depression and other mental disorders.
Why do we find it more difficult to get a good night’s sleep as we age? Often, as we age, we suffer more aches and pains due to diseases like arthritis and osteoporosis. We also may become more anxious or depressed and spend nights worrying about many things. We may also develop conditions that unknowingly interrupt our sleep, like sleep apnea in which an individual’s breathing is interrupted momentarily during sleep causing lack of oxygen to the brain, stress on the body, heightened risk of mental impairment, and preventing good, restful sleep.
What happens when we don’t get enough sleep? Many medical conditions can worsen without sufficient sleep to help your body strengthen and refresh itself in order to combat the effects of conditions like arthritis, heart disease, musculoskeletal disorders, memory loss, osteoporosis, Parkinson’s disease, hypertension, and diabetes. Senior homecare experts advise that individuals who do not get enough sleep become more prone to falls, anxiety and other mental disorders, and are more likely to develop dementia. It is also important to note that sometimes lack of sleep results in a misdiagnosis of dementia since symptoms of lack of sleep and dementia (confusion, disorientation and the inability to focus) can be similar. Lack of sleep can also cause weight gain, as missing sleep has been shown to increase our appetite and decrease the amount of energy we use the following day. This is why senior homecare experts recommend aiming for approximately eight hours of sleep per night to prevent weight gain and other health problems.
Do we need as much sleep as we age? In spite of what we may have heard, senior homecare experts indicate that seniors may actually need less sleep than their younger counterparts. Although we have always heard that once reaching adulthood, most people should get eight hours of sleep per night, the important thing is that we get the amount of sleep that our particular body needs. If a senior is experiencing daytime sleepiness, that is probably a sign that they are not getting enough sleep and should contact a health care professional to determine the cause. In general, less than six hours of sleep is probably not enough, as studies have found that people getting less than six hours of sleep are more likely to die prematurely. On the other hand, excessive sleeping can be a sign of illness or depression. If a senior is worried that they are not getting enough sleep, this can further exacerbate the problem, and the worry may be needless, as it may be that their individual self needs less sleep to function well and be healthy.
What are the best conditions for getting enough sleep? Recent studies have shown that it is best to read a book before bed rather than reading on an electronic device or watching TV. This for a number of reasons. First, in our modern society, social media and easily accessible information available on smartphones and on the internet can cause us to stay up much later than we intended, taking time away from our sleep. In addition, studies have shown that the artificial light from these devices can make it more difficult to sleep because it alters our circadian rhythms, makes us more alert and interferes with our body’s releasing of melatonin, which is the natural process of preparing us for sleep. It is best to unwind and relax in a dimly lit area for a while before going to bed.
If you cannot seem to get enough sleep, what can you do? It is important to identify the reasons you may not be sleeping well. Are you in pain, which is preventing you from falling or staying asleep? Are you up worrying late into the night? Are you sleeping all night but waking up feeling exhausted? Let your doctor know that you are not sleeping well. It may be that there are better ways to manage the pain that is causing you to sleep poorly. If it is anxiety causing you not to sleep well, therapy or medications may help induce sleep. If you cannot figure out what the problem is, there are sleep studies that can be done to determine if a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea is to blame. Such disorders can be treated with medical devices, changes in lifestyle or sleep habits and sometimes, with medications.
Getting enough sleep is important. Equally important is acknowledging and addressing the issue if we or a senior we love are not getting sufficient sleep. Getting enough sleep can improve our health and wellbeing in many ways.
