Did you ever have a restless night and feel groggy the entire next day? Just imagine experiencing sleep deprivation on a long-term basis. Some seniors do. The American Sleep Association reports that 50-70 million adults suffer from a sleep disorder - many of them seniors. Don’t dismiss it as another side effect of aging. Contrary to popular belief, maturing adults need the same amount of sleep as they did when younger. While that number may vary for each person, it should not lessen with age. Sleep remains important to overall health and well-being for everyone at any age.
When slumbering, the brain cycles through REM (rapid-eye-movement) and non-REM sleep, explains John Hopkins Medicine. During REM sleep, the eyes move rapidly behind closed lids, breathing rates increase, and the body becomes immobilized as muscles turn off. The stage where dreams occur, REM sleep is noted for providing energy to the brain and body.
The first sleep cycle, non-REM sleep consists of four stages. Stage 1 is when you are about to drift from wakefulness into sleep and stage 2 signals the onset of sleep, with body temperature dropping and heart rates slowing. Stages 3 and 4 are the deepest and most restorative sleep stages, where the blood pressure drops, breathing slows, muscles relax and brain waves are active. Data suggests that non-REM sleep is the most restorative phase of sleep and most important for learning and memory.
Interruption to sleep stages results in the body starting over the sleep cycle, which results in never reaching the deeper and most restorative sleep phases. Short sleep periods also make it impossible to get through all the sleep stages. Insomnia - difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep - is a major issue among US adults over the age of 60 that disrupts the sleep cycle, causing physical and cognitive issues.
Aging adults don’t sleep as soundly as in their youth. A study by the National Sleep Foundation determined that 44% of older people have symptoms of insomnia - more than once per week. That’s because sleep disorders increase with age.
Older adults become sleepless for different reasons. According to WebMD, health, medication, frequent urination and sleep apnea contribute to insomnia. Some maturing seniors experience insomnia due to advanced sleep phase syndrome that causes the internal body clock to change to earlier bed and wakeup times. In addition, the pain caused by arthritis, muscular atrophy and heart problems can keep a senior awake at night.
Degenerative brain disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s Disease (PD) also cause sleep disturbances. Frequent awakenings and sleep fragmentation are associated with PD and AD patients that causes daytime sleepiness, leading to napping that changes normal sleep patterns.
Symptoms of crankiness and moodiness associated with poor sleep usually are resolvable when sleep patterns return to normal. However, chronic sleepiness leads to sleep deprivation, affecting a senior’s health in different ways.
It’s not hopeless. Different techniques employed by seniors and their caregivers may help regain a good night’s sleep. Here are some sensible tips:
Be mindful when your aging loved one complains of sleepiness. When visiting the doctor, inform them of poor sleep habits and question if certain medication or medical problems interfere with sleep. A simple adjustment to medication dosage or timing could solve the problem. Taking steps to improve their slumber can result in better attitudes and health for greater quality of life. You’ll sleep easier too.
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