Elderly Ailments Archives - Vista Winds Retirement Community

Sleep disorders in the elderly involve any disruption of their sleep pattern. This can comprise problems falling or staying asleep, excessive sleep, or unusual behaviors concerning sleep.

Causes of Sleep Disorders

Sleep problems are not uncommon in older adults. The amount of sleep required stays constant throughout our adult years. It is suggested that adults get seven to eight hours of sleep every night. In the elderly, sleep is less deep and spottier than sleep in those that are younger.

Sleep disorders in older adults may be the result of any of the following:

Alzheimer’s disease
Use of alcohol
Changes in the body’s natural sleep/ wake cycle, causing some of those to fall asleep earlier in the evening
Chronic disease, like heart failure
Specific medicines, supplements, herbs, and recreational drugs
Depression (this is a common cause of sleep issues in the old and young alike)
Brain and nervous system ailments
Not being very active
Pain caused by diseases like arthritis
Stimulants like caffeine and nicotine
The need to urinate during the night

Symptoms of Causes of Sleep Disorders in Older Adults

Symptoms that may occur include:

Trouble falling and staying asleep
Difficulty distinguishing night and day
Waking up early in the morning
Waking up throughout the night (for instance, to use the bathroom)

Examinations and Test

Your healthcare provider is going to revisit the timeline and carry out a physical examination to ascertain it there are any medical causes and establish which type of sleep disorder is causing the issue.

Your healthcare provider may suggest you start keeping a sleep diary or that you have a sleep study (polysomnography) carried out.

Treatment For Sleep Disorders in Older Adults

Alleviating chronic pain and managing medical conditions like nocturia or frequently going to the bathroom may improve sleep in some people. Treatments for depression are going to often improve sleep.

Going to sleep in a quiet room, that is the perfect temperature and having a peaceful bedtime routine could help promote symptoms. Other ways to encourage sleep include this healthy way of living tips:

Stay away from large meals shortly before going to sleep. A small bedtime snack could be beneficial. A lot of people find that warm milk promotes sleepiness, because it contains a natural, sedative-like amino acids.
Stay away from stimulants like caffeine for at least three or four hours prior to bed.
Exercise at regular times every day, however, not within three hours of your bedtime.
Head for bed and wake up at the same time each day.
Avoid taking naps.
Stay away from TV or using your computer, cell phone, or tablet in the bedroom.
Avoid tobacco products, particularly prior to sleep.
Only use the bed for sleeping or sexual encounters.

If you are unable to fall asleep after twenty minutes, get out of bed and do a quiet activity like reading or listening to soothing music.

Sleeping Pills and Sleep Disorders

If possible, stay away from the use of sleeping pills to help you go to sleep. They could result in addiction and can make sleep issues worse over time if you don’t use them the correctly. Your healthcare provider should evaluate your risks of daytime sleepiness, mental side effects, and falls prior to you start taking sleep medicines.

If you believe you require sleeping pills, consult with your healthcare provider concerning which ones are safe for you when taken correctly. Particular sleeping pills shouldn’t be taken for longer than directed.
Avoid drinking alcohol at all times when taking/ using sleeping pills. Alcohol can enhance the side effects of every sleeping pill, making them worse.

WARNING: The FDA has petitioned manufacturers of particular sleep medicines to put more powerful warning labels on their products in order for consumers to be more aware of the possible dangers. Potential dangers while taking these medicines include a risky allergic reaction and dangerous sleep-associated behaviors, which could include sleep-driving. Ask your healthcare provider about these risks.

Outlook (Prognosis) of Sleep Disorders

For a lot of people, sleep improves using some type of treatment. Nevertheless, others may continue to have sleep disorders.

Possible Complications of Sleep Disorders in Older Adults

Possible complications could be:

Alcohol and/ or drug use
Increased risk of falling (because of frequently urinating at night)

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Age, hereditary reasons, and gender make it just about impossible for elderly people to avoid turning into a chronic disease number. As reported by NCOA research, around ninety-five percent of elderly people aged sixty and older have at least one ailment, while around eighty percent have two or more. You most likely have a parent or grandparent

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Eleven percent of elderly people were treated for COPD —a continual disease that includes two primary conditions: chronic bronchitis and emphysema. This disease makes it difficult to breathe and respiratory, chest tightness and chronic coughing.

Alzheimer’s disease and dementia

Almost twelve percent of elderly people on Medicare received treatment for Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is one particular type of dementia—an ailment that causes memory loss and challenging to think or solve problems to the point that it interferes with day-to-day activities. Dementia is not an everyday part of aging and is caused by changes in the brain after a while.

The greatest risk factors for these chronic ailments are things you usually can’t control, comprising of age, family history, and genetics.

Depression

Sixteen percent of elderly people sought out treatment for depression—a treatable medical ailment that is not a normal part of getting older. Depression causes continual feelings of sadness, hopelessness, cynicism, fatigue, challenging to make decisions, appetite changes, a lack of desire for activities, and/or more.

Hypertension (high blood pressure)

Just about sixty percent of elderly people were treated for hypertension—a common ailment that involves both the amount of blood your heart pumps, in addition to how resistive your arteries are to the blood flow. When your heart pumps a lot of blood, and you have restrictive arteries which resist the flow, resulting in high blood pressure, also referred to as hypertension. The risk of hypertension is that you could have it for years and be unaware of it, but it can lead to other serious health ailments, such as strokes and heart attacks.

Diabetes

Twenty-seven percent of elderly people got treatment for diabetes—a disease that happens when your body is resistant to, or does not create enough, insulin. That is what your body utilizes to acquire energy from food, and allocates it to your cells. When this doesn’t occur, resulting in high blood sugar, which can lead to complications heart disease, kidney disease, or loss of vision. The chance of having diabetes increases after age forty-five.

However, if you or someone you know is struggling to control a chronic condition, there are programs in your community that can give assistance to, such as the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program. CDSMP is a little over a month long interactive, small-group seminar that aids participants to build the skills required to manage how chronic conditions impact their lives.