It’s estimated that as many as 48 percent of today’s older adults suffer from some level of insomnia. The two main complaints are difficulty staying asleep or difficulty falling asleep. Several factors can trigger insomnia to happen. Could your dad’s afternoon naps be making it hard for him to get a full night’s sleep?
Two Key Signs of Insomnia
Two main identifiers of insomnia in the elderly are taking more than 30 minutes to fall asleep at night. On the other end, if your dad is waking up well before he should and finds himself unable to go back to sleep, it’s also a sign of insomnia.
When this happens, it may make your dad snappy with you in the afternoon. He may have a hard time staying awake in the afternoon. It can make it hard for him to do his usual chores, be awake for meals and snacks, and affect his concentration and cognitive abilities.
Ways to Overcome It
-Afternoon napping has to stop. He may be tired and ready to sleep at that moment, but if he naps, he’s more likely to encounter a night of unproductive sleep. Instead of napping, he needs to get up and do something active. A walk outside is one good way to re-energize without napping.
-Your dad needs to get his body on a schedule. Instead of having a pint of beer or a cup of coffee or tea after dinner, he should avoid anything caffeinated or alcoholic. If he has to have a beverage before bed, it should be small, preferably nothing more than water, and sipped rather than chugged.
-He should stop drinking an hour before bed. If his bladder is full in the middle of the night, he’s going to get up. Once he’s walked to the bathroom, turned on a light, and walked back to bed, he’ll be awake. If he can avoid that bathroom trip, he’ll sleep more soundly.
-He should pick a bedtime that allows him to get into a schedule. If he’s always up at 5 a.m., he’d want to be in bed by 9 p.m. to get the full eight hours of sleep. Going to bed at 8 p.m., reading for an hour, turning off lights, and turning on white noise helps. Lavender can also help with the relaxation that aids sleep.
If he’s alone during the day, there are ways to keep him from napping. Hire elderly care services to make sure he has a companion at the time he’d normally decide to take a nap. If he needs a nap, the elderly care aide can limit how long that nap is to help keep his napping from impacting his sleep cycle. Learn more by making a call to a home care agency.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Care in Daly City, CA, contact the friendly staff at Home Care Professionals today.
Call (866)-940-4855
Sources:
Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
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