To feel your best, you need a restful night of sleep, good nutrition, and exercise. You may be surprised at how good you feel when you get enough sleep. As we age, a good night’s sleep is especially important because it improves concentration and memory formation, allows your body to repair any cell damage that occurred during the day, and refreshes your immune system which helps to prevent disease.
Causes of sleep changes as we age
As you age, you may perceive unwelcome changes in your sleep patterns, such as more fragmented sleep (more rapid sleep cycles), a decrease in deep sleep, and more awakening between sleep cycles. These changes are in the quality of sleep, rather than in the quantity of sleep. In addition, certain hormones decrease as you get older and may alter your former sleep/wake timeframe so that you feel like going to bed earlier and waking up earlier. If you or a senior you care for is having trouble sleeping well, consider some common causes of sleep problems in the elderly:
Poor sleep hygiene – The most common cause of insomnia in the elderly is poor sleep habits or a poor sleep environment. Examples of poor sleep hygiene are irregular sleep hours, consumption of alcohol before bedtime, and too much daytime napping.
Pain or medical illness – Pain can keep you from sleeping well. In addition, many common health conditions can interfere with sleep: a frequent need to urinate, arthritis, asthma, diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, nighttime heartburn, menopause, and Alzheimer's.
Medications – Seniors tend to take more medications than do younger people. Combinations of drugs, as well as the side-effects of individual drugs, can impair sleep or even stimulate wakefulness.
Lack of exercise – If you are too sedentary, you may not feel sleepy. Alternatively, you may feel sleepy all of the time.
Psychological stress or psychological disorders –Significant life changes like the death of a loved one or moving from a family home can cause stress. Anxiety or sadness can also keep you awake, and sleeplessness can, in turn, cause more anxiety or depression.
Sleep disorders - Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS),insomnia, and sleep-disordered breathing such as snoring and sleep apnea occur more frequently in older adults. .
Medications can interfere with quality sleep
If you are like older adults, you take medications for one or more ongoing conditions. You may take heart medications, diabetes medications, or something for congestion. Any of these medications may have the side-effect of keeping you awake. In addition, a combination of medications can also cause sleep trouble. While it may be difficult to pinpoint which medication could be causing sleep problems, your doctor should be able to help. Take a list of your medications to your physician and discuss your sleep problems. The solution may be as simple as switching the time of day you take your medication; changing to another medication; or lowering the dosage.
