Middle of the night wakefulness is probably more common than you or your senior realize. It’s a form of insomnia, which can be a surprising fact for many people. If your elderly family member is waking often in the middle of the night, this information might help both of you.
Forcing Sleep Is Never an Answer
If your elderly family member is trying to force herself to get some sleep, she’s probably frustrated with the results. This can be especially difficult for your senior if she initially falls asleep easily without trying at all and then wakes in the middle of the night. This type of insomnia is one that doesn’t get talked about as much because it’s often not thought about as insomnia because your senior does get to sleep earlier. Remind her that if she’s trying to make herself go to sleep, she may not get the results she wants.
Consider Getting up and Doing Something Else
One of the tactics your senior might employ instead of trying to force sleep to happen is to get out of bed and to go do something else. This technique works best if your senior leaves her bedroom and does something elsewhere in the house. She might try reading or doing something that feels like a before-bed ritual, like making a soothing tea with honey. It’s best if she does something that typically makes her feel sleepy or that she associates with sleeping. Active activities, like exercising, are usually not the best idea.
Are Little Worries the Culprit?
If your senior is worrying a lot, especially about her health or about the future, that can be a big reason for the middle of the night wakefulness. She might not even realize that she’s worried, but when she wakes up the situation that’s causing her to worry might be the first thing she thinks about. As she keeps pondering that issue, she might be fully waking herself up, which then becomes difficult to recover from. Talk to your senior about what might be worrying her and how you can help her. The answer might be as simple as making sure that senior care providers stop by regularly to check on her when you’re not there, or having someone help with small tasks, like cooking and cleaning up.
Quiet Rest Is Better than Nothing at All
In the end, quietly resting, even if your senior isn’t fully asleep, is a lot more helpful to her body than nothing at all. This might even be a good time for her to listen to audiobooks or to podcasts that she enjoys because she can lie comfortably and listen with her eyes closed. Some of those activities might even help her to eventually fall asleep.
Waking up when she doesn’t want to isn’t a fun situation for your senior. Keeping the situation as stress-free as possible helps.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Care Services in San Jose, CA, contact the friendly staff at Home Care Professionals today.
Call (866)-940-4855
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