When your elderly family member isn’t getting the sleep that she needs she is more likely to have mood issues, to experience worsening health issues, and just to feel terrible overall. You definitely want better for your elderly family member and by looking into a few of her habits you can help her to get much better sleep. Home care assistance can also make a difference, especially if your senior is experiencing some of these bad habits around sleep.
Talk to Her Doctor about Medications
Your senior’s prescribed medications aren’t a bad sleep habit, but they could be making it more difficult for her to get the sleep that she needs. If it’s been a while since your senior has asked her doctor about a medication review, now might be the time to ask for one. A medication review is your senior’s chance to share with her doctor what she’s experiencing with her medications. And this gives her doctor a chance to look more closely at interactions, side effects, and anything else that might be impacting your elderly family member’s medications and overall health.
Look Closer at Naps, Bedtimes, and Wakeup Times
On a day your senior gets some bad sleep, she might turn around and take a nap. That’s a normal response, but she might be making the problem worse. That happens when she takes a long nap or one that is too late in the day and therefore interferes with the next night’s sleep. If she’s not careful this can all turn into a vicious cycle of bad sleep. Something else to look at is your senior’s bedtimes and wakeup times. Are those all over the map or is she trying to be consistent? That information can tell you a lot about what might be affecting her sleep.
Encourage Her to Get Out of Bed if She Can’t Sleep
Something that a lot of people try to do is to stay in bed and keep trying to get to sleep, even when sleep just isn’t happening. It turns out that’s maybe not such a great idea. That can add a lot of pressure and anxiety to a situation that already isn’t all that relaxed. If your aging family member is having trouble getting to sleep or she’s waking up in the middle of the night, it can actually help her to get up and do something else quietly for a little while. Keep the lights low and journal, listen to soothing music, or sip a cup of chamomile tea. She can try again for sleep afterward.
Set a Solid Routine for Each Day
What are your senior’s routines like in general? If she’s not getting the best sleep possible, she might not have a great routine in place. Working with home care assistance can help your elderly family member to spot what isn’t working about her daily routines and establish better ones. This might mean adopting better wakeup times, setting consistent mealtimes, and having a wind-down routine for the end of the day. Senior care professionals can be very helpful with all of this.
Getting better sleep can help your elderly family member to feel better in so many different ways. She doesn’t have to keep getting bad sleep.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Home Care Assistance in Fitchburg, WI please contact the caring staff at Agape Senior Services Madison today. (608) 841-1004
