Home Care – What Is Normal When it Comes to Sleep and Seniors?

Home CareWhen people aren’t sleeping well, their entire well-being is affected. This is especially true for aging adults. Seniors can experience some complex health issues related to many different factors, including lack of quality sleep. Understanding what normal is for seniors when it comes to sleep is important. It’s equally important to find solutions that can help, like bringing in home care providers to help.

Factors Influencing Sleep for Seniors

Several different factors affect how well seniors are able to sleep. They frequently experience changes in their circadian rhythms, for instance, which can cause seniors to wake up later and later until they are awake all night and sleeping during the day. Medications and health issues are another big issue for seniors when it comes to sleeping well. Chronic health problems, especially ones that come with pain, can dramatically impact sleep. Some medications have side effects that affect sleep quality or even the ability to sleep. Stress, noise, temperature, life changes, and overall comfort are other factors to consider when troubleshooting sleep issues.

What Is Normal for Seniors and Sleep?

Understanding what “normal” sleep is means looking at quite a few different details. Typically, seniors need less sleep than younger adults, but only by a little bit. Most experts agree that around seven to eight hours of sleep is sufficient. Quality of sleep is a little more important than quantity. Normal sleep, even for seniors, involves uninterrupted sleep that results in feeling restored and refreshed. If seniors are experiencing issues like waking up in the middle of the night, trouble falling asleep, or daytime sleepiness, they might need to dig deeper into what is going on.

Addressing Sleep Disorders

Conditions like restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, and insomnia all need to be discussed with a doctor. Sometimes these issues are a symptom of an underlying health issue. They can almost always be addressed, but a diagnosis needs to happen first. Any issues that are causing seniors to miss out on sleep or that impact sleep quality should be discussed right away with a doctor.

How Does Home Care Help Seniors with Sleep?

Senior care services can be instrumental in helping aging adults get the sleep that they need. First, caregivers can help seniors to establish solid routines throughout the day that take aging adults through waking up, being active, and getting to bed. Caregivers can also help to alert seniors and family caregivers to signs of underlying health issues, which might be the first step in getting sleep issues resolved. Home care providers can help with daily activities, too, which can take a lot of stress and strain off of seniors, making it easier to relax and sleep well.

Meeting the needs of seniors appropriately is often the best way to resolve a great many issues, including problems with sleep and sleep quality. Working with home care providers is an excellent way for seniors and family caregivers to get a handle on what is going on, recognize possible solutions, and put a plan in place.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring home care in Berwyn, PA, and the surrounding area, please contact the friendly staff at Suma Home Care. (484) 206-4544

Ibrahim & Mariama Suma-Keita