Lifestyle changes
As a person gets older and when he or she retires, all the responsibilities along with most daily activities get changed significantly, and the body has to adjust accordingly. People of older age do not usually get as much exercise, as they did in their past. And for most of them being in the so – called “more rested” state during the day means that their bodies do not feel the need to sleep they used to. In case if the doctor allows, these people should better increase their daily activities, like they may take a longer walk, spend more time in their garden, do some physical exercising during the day, or at least more than two hours before going to bed, as all these activities, especially physical ones, increase the core temperature, thus, making it harder to fall asleep.
Senior people may not spend enough time outdoors, therefore it is extremely useful for them to stay outdoors as much as possible, because sunlight helps keeps their bodies’ circadian rhythm working in an appropriate way. Actually, senior people need to spend outdoors not less than two hours a day, as having bright – light exposure helps their bodies gauge when to sleep and when to wake up. In case if it is not possible to get outside in order to enjoy the sunshine, then a person should talk to his or her doctor about installing a light box – it is a box, which emits a bright light that mimics the light, which is given by the sun.
Spending more time indoor and having less activity, every senior person may be tempting to a nap during the daytime. However, if someone’s nap lasts more than 20 minutes, the person can end up having more trouble getting to sleep during the night time.
Sleep disorders
There are sleep disorders, which are more prevalent among senior people, such as sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome. Any of these disorders can wake a person up just in the middle of the night. That is why in case if anyone has either condition, it is necessary to ask the doctor’s advice. Anyway, sleeplessness is not to be accepted simply as part of the aging process. This is the condition, which can be treated; moreover, it is to be treated. And the sooner a person visits the doctor, the sooner he or she along with the doctor can get to work on a solution. And this is the way back to a good night’s rest.
What one should do
In order to be able to get back to sleep, it is necessary to find the reason of insomnia and then treat the very problem, which causes the sleeplessness. However, in case if the sleep problem is affecting someone’s daytime functioning, then it would be necessary to talk to the doctor about all the concerns. It is also much advisable to visit a doctor, if someone suffers from the following problems:
• Irregular breathing or / and disruptive snoring;
• Insomnia is related to anxiety or depression;
• There is the dependency on sleeping pills;
• More than a month a person is not able to sleep soundly or / and fall asleep when he or she wants to;
• There is constant feeling of anxiety, which is associated with lack of sleep;
• Someone routinely feels sleepy at times, when he or she needs to be alert, for example during the driving process.
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