Sleep problems of Senior Citizens
(Dr P Vyasamoorthy)
Are you like me? I can not get back to sleep for hours after
getting up around 2 am to attend natures call. Well, this is only one of the
several known sleep issues of Old Age.
Nearly 67% of old people suffer from: difficulty in falling
asleep, waking up without being refreshed, brief stoppages of breathing or
snoring etc. Nearly a third of all women crossing menopause suffer from short
term insomnia. Let us see what can be done with reference to common problems
related to sleeping.
Before retiring to bed take a cup
of warm milk or shower or read a book or try to write a letter. This will
induce sleep. Avoid heavy dinner. Say No to alcohol. Pee before popping into
bed. Dont be lazy on this count. Keep the bedroom cozy not too cool, not too
stuffy, sufficiently dark — just right to relax. Go to bed at an appointed
time. Make sleeping a routine. For normal people it takes 5 to 7 minutes to
pass into sleep. You may take around 15 minutes. Dont panic.
If you get up during the night to
go to the toilet and can not get back to sleep, just get up and start reading a
book. Or start writing a letter. Or Solve Sudoku or some crossword puzzle from
where you left. Such activities will quickly make you sleepy again. Alternately
do not indulge in activities that may make you totally awake. I used to brush
my teeth, wash my face and drink some water. I used to become so fresh and
awake that getting back to sleep is almost impossible.
Many of us may not have compulsions
to wake up at appointed time say 6 am in the morning No milk man, servant
maid, paper boy or Safai Walah to attend to. If you are that fortunate then
allow yourself to toss in the bed for sufficiently long time. You can get back
to sleep automatically after an hour two. But you may wake up late. So what? If
you can afford this luxury why not simply go ahead? Try and find out what helps
you. After all, each individual is different.
Sleeping safely is also necessary
and important for senior citizens, especially those living alone. Keep a glass
of water, telephone and switch for a lamp or a Torch light handy.
Some may like to keep hearing
aids, walking stick, spectacles, mobile phone or other accessories also handy, but
at designated places. Remove rugs that may trip you while walking. Dont keep
Mosquito coil so near that your clothes may catch fire. Most importantly dont ever
smoke in the bed.
Most of the advice given here are
so common place that senior citizens might have read about them many times. But
the secret is in heading to the advice! If after taking these simple measures
you do not get relief you must see a doctor.
Conditions like depression, arthritis, kidney disease, heart failure,
asthma, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome, Parkinsons disease
and hyperthyroidism may cause chronic insomnia. This requires proper medical
attention.
All said and done we should not
be foolish to take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night, as advised
by Dave Barry.