Getting a good night’s sleep is essential for our physical, cognitive, and mental health. Sleep is vital for seniors to maintain their immune function, cognition, and heart health. Insomnia can cause cognitive decline and depression, exacerbate chronic health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, and lead to increased falls. Poor sleep also makes it harder for the body to recover from illness or injury. At Home Care Assistance, we understand the benefits of a good night’s sleep. We have put together this blog on why Insomnia occurs in older adults and how to improve sleep health.
Why Does Insomnia Occur in Older Adults?
Older adults need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep per night. However, our sleep tends to change as we age, resulting in less sleep than we need. 17-60% of older adults experience insomnia for more than 3 months.[1] It is normal for the body clock of older adults to change, leading to getting sleepier earlier in the evening and waking up earlier in the morning. It is common to cycle into deep sleep less often as we age. This results in normal sleep patterns being disrupted.
Other body changes also affect sleep. Melatonin, a hormone that helps us sleep, is often produced less by our bodies as we age, meaning we do not get to sleep as quickly. It is also more common for older adults to nap during the day, making sleeping harder at night. Getting older is also when people may engage in less activity, particularly as their health declines. Not only does less activity increase the risk of chronic health conditions, it also makes it harder to sleep at night.
Conditions that cause pain can make it more challenging to get comfortable at night, resulting in poorer sleep. These include arthritis, osteoporosis, and indigestion. Other health conditions, such as heart disease, lung disease, asthma, COPD, Sleep apnoea, Parkinson’s, and incontinence, can also make sleeping difficult. Medications to treat chronic health conditions, essential to keeping a person healthy, may interfere with sleep patterns. Alzheimer’s and dementia can both make sleep more difficult, yet poor sleep can exacerbate these conditions, causing a problematic cycle.
Getting older can also be a time of change for adults with children leaving home, retirement, and loved ones passing away. These can all lead to stress, depression and anxiety as older adults adjust to the changes in their lives. This can not only make sleep more difficult, but a lack of sleep can make stress, anxiety and depression worse.
There are lots of factors that can result in insomnia in older adults, but what can be done about it?
How to Promote Better Sleep in Older Adults
Despite the challenges that older adults face in getting quality sleep, many things can be done to improve sleep. These include:
- Use a sleep tracker. This is a great way to learn about sleep patterns. It can help you identify what is going on and how much sleep your loved one gets at night.
- Sleeping regularly, which involves going to bed at the same time each night and getting up at the same time every morning, can help the body regulate sleep. If your loved one receives home care, a care professional can support them in keeping regular sleep hours.
- Engage in regular physical activity. Physical activity, at whatever level the person can, helps tire the body and improve sleep. It does not have to be strenuous. Even going for a daily walk can help. If your loved one receives home care from a specialist provider such as Home Care Assistance, their Care Professional can help encourage regular activity during the day.
- Limit naps. Short naps that are not too close to bedtime can help improve nighttime sleep. While it is not unusual for people to need naps during the day as they age, it is important to avoid having a late or long nap that causes sleep problems at night.
- Get health conditions treated. If health conditions cause nighttime pain or interfere with sleep in other ways, treating and controlling them as much as possible is essential to improving sleep. This includes addressing issues such as sleep apnea. It is essential that your loved one attend medical appointments to keep health conditions under control. If your loved one receives care at home from a Care Professional, they can help them get to appointments so they can stay on top of health conditions that may be affecting their sleep.
- Limit caffeine and alcohol and screen usage at night. Caffeine and alcohol can both disrupt sleep, especially if consumed in large quantities late in the day. Reducing the use of these substances can help sleep. Using screens, such as scrolling on the phone before bed, can also disrupt sleep. Encourage your loved one to read books or listen to audiobooks before bed.
- Control stress levels. Taking steps to control stress levels can make sleeping easier. These include addressing issues causing stress and engaging in breathing exercises, meditation, or other relaxing activities, such as taking a bath.
- Consult the GP. If none of the above are helping, see a GP to discuss medical options such as medication or counselling.
Getting a good night’s sleep is vital for older adults and essential for maintaining health. If your older loved one has difficulty sleeping, try implementing the above tips.
Support at home from a specialist provider, such as Home Care Assistance, can bring enormous benefits and comfort to your quality of life while living independently at home. Home Care Assistance has viable solutions when it comes to supporting independent living. For more information, get in touch with a Home Care Assistance near me today.
[1] https://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/sleep-topics/ageing-sleep
