If your elderly family member isn’t sleeping well, it’s likely that other areas of her life are suffering, too. Here are some ideas that can help.
Sleep Routines Keep Your Senior’s Circadian Rhythm Accurate
Your elderly family member’s circadian rhythm is what helps her body to stay in sync with daily life. Having a solid routine gives her body cues throughout the day that it’s time to sleep and that it’s time to be awake. When your senior’s circadian rhythm is off, she may feel as if everything is slightly off.
Naps Can Help or Hurt
Naps can be a wonderful tool when it comes to helping your senior to get the sleep that she needs. The right timing and duration of a nap can give your senior just the boost she was lacking. But if she’s napping for too long or too late in the day, that can make the problem bigger than it was and throw that circadian rhythm off even farther.
Too Much Time in Bed Can Be a Problem
Your senior might even be spending too much time in her bed. Lying there for too long without sleeping can make her brain connect her bed and her bedroom with being awake, and that’s not an association that you want her brain to make. If your elderly family member is having trouble sleeping, getting up for a little while and going to another room until she’s sleepy again may be a good idea.
Figure out a Bedtime Routine
Bedtime routines do not have to be complicated. The right bedtime routine causes your senior’s brain to connect that it’s time to slow down and get ready to fall asleep. Spending some time listening to relaxing music or having a cup of herbal tea can become a sleepy ritual for her.
Work out a Morning Routine, Too
Morning routines do something similar, except they cue your senior’s brain that it’s time to get up and get into her day. Some of the things in a successful morning routine include getting up around the same time every morning and getting out of bed as soon as she’s awake.
If some of your senior’s daily tasks are getting more difficult for her, that can be a contributing factor to having her sleep routines be far off base. Bringing in home care providers can be a huge help in getting her sleep routines reset.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering home care in Chino, CA please contact the caring staff at Motherly Comfort Home Care, LLC today at (909) 610-3222.