We have all been through a bad sleeping period at least once in our lives. Any changes in our daily routine might make us lose our internal balance. Nowadays our lives are becoming more hectic which will cause stress or lead us to bad diets. The former will contribute to keeping us awake during the night.
The same reasons explained before can affect the senior population, but they are much more sensitive to changes that could affect their sleeping process. Even the smallest change; a change in the way furniture was arranged, a new doctor or medication can be the reason why they are experiencing insomnia. On the other hand, there are more dangerous reasons why this might be happening to your loved one such as depression or dementia.
We would like you to know what a caregiver or even members of the family should take into account if their loved one is experiencing sleeping issues.
Thinking about a simple reason.
There are numbers of ordinary reasons why this might be happening. Feeling uncomfortable is one of them. Elderly people might not feel comfortable when the bedding is to rough or if it makes them feel itchy, the pillow might not be good enough, the mattress might be lumpy , the room temperature might be too hot or too cold or maybe their caffeine intake during the day is too high.
Digestive problems
When they are not having a good and balanced diet, in other words if they have eaten something they should not have this issue might lead to various stomach problems: heartburn, indigestion, constipation, acid reflux or stomach pain. These problems will keep them awake at night.
Stress related issues
Senior might worry about the things to be done, errands or the may feel nervous due to a doctors appointment coming soon. They may be feeling a bit sad if they have recently lost a loved one. So a good suggestion is to talk to them and try to find out what is bothering them, by doing this caregivers or family members could help the client to find a simple solution and get their daily routine back to normal.