VISITING ANGELS CENTRAL COAST IN CALIFORNIA 831-430-0616
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Learn More About the Connection Between Sleep and Senior Health from Visiting Angels Central Coast

At Visiting Angels Central Coast, we provide quality care at home that can help seniors in Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz and Marina, CA adopt nighttime rituals to help them sleep soundly at night

It is not unusual for people to develop some type of sleeping disorder during adulthood, especially when they are in their golden years. According to the American Sleep Association, as many as 50-70 million adults suffer from some sleep disorder, many of them seniors.

As sleep remains an important factor for maintaining one’s overall health and quality of life, it’s important to know what causes sleeplessness in seniors and ways to help your senior mom or dad get a good night’s rest. At Visiting Angels Central Coast, we’re committed to helping seniors throughout Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties get quality care at home in order to stay healthy and comfortable as they age in place. This includes helping our clients get a good night’s sleep.

The Cycles of Sleep

When we fall asleep, our brain cycles between non-REM and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. In the non-REM phase, the body enters the deepest and most restorative sleep stages. Non-REM plays an important role in maintaining memory and learning skills.

Entering REM, our muscles become immobilized while our eyes start moving rapidly behind the lids. REM is essential to restoring energy to the body and brain. Another interesting fact - dreams occur in this stage.

Frequent sleep disruptions cause the body to restart the sleep cycle all over again, making it impossible to reach the deeper, rejuvenating phases of sleep.

Causes of Sleep Disorders in Seniors

It is widely accepted that sleep patterns change gradually as we age. For this reason, sleep disorders are quite common in seniors. In fact, a recent study confirmed that more than 40% of seniors show symptoms of insomnia more than once a week.

Aging adults may develop sleeping disorders for lots of different reasons, including health issues, side effects of medication, frequent night urination and sleep apnea, as well as chronic pain due to arthritis, muscular atrophy and heart disease.

All these problems can eventually lead to insomnia. Moreover, conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are also closely related to frequent awakenings and sleep fragmentation.

Sleep Deprivation as Potential Health Risks for Seniors

Certain symptoms of poor sleep such as crankiness or moodiness are quickly gone when sleeping patterns return to normal. On the other hand, chronic sleeplessness that evolves into sleep deprivation may affect your loved one’s overall health and lead to:

  • Cognitive impairment
  • Weak immune system
  • Onset of heart disease
  • Obesity
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Anxiety or depression

Tips for Improving Quality of Sleep

To help Mom or Dad sleep better, our caregivers can provide quality care at home that can encourage your loved one to:

  • Set their daily schedule around waking up and going to bed at the same time
  • Avoid drinking coffee late in the evening
  • Stay active and spend time outdoors
  • Take a warm, soothing bath prior to going to bed
  • Refrain from taking long daytime naps
  • Minimize lighting and darken their bedroom
  • Make sure to cool down the bedroom because higher temperatures may decrease sleep quality
  • Stop watching TV or using devices before bedtime

These everyday rituals can help your loved one relax and sleep through the night.

If your parent complains about sleeplessness, make sure to seek advice from experts who provide senior care at home and encourage your loved one to visit their physician. Taking steps to improve their sleep can help significantly boost Mom or Dad’s quality of life. 

If you’d like to learn how our caregivers can help your loved one, contact our Scotts Valley, CA office today.

Serving Scotts Valley, Watsonville, Marina, Carmel, Santa Cruz, Aptos, Salinas, and throughout Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties in California

Visiting Angels CENTRAL COAST IN CALIFORNIA
5274 Scotts Valley Dr #102
Scotts Valley, CA 95066
Phone: 831-430-0616
Fax: 831-430-0612
HCO #444700002

Serving Scotts Valley, Watsonville, Marina, Carmel, Santa Cruz, Aptos, Salinas, and throughout Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties in California

Visiting Angels CENTRAL COAST IN CALIFORNIA
5274 Scotts Valley Dr #102
Scotts Valley, CA 95066
Phone: 831-430-0616
Fax: 831-430-0612
HCO #444700002