Some older adults struggle to get a full night’s sleep. It can be harder to make the bladder wait until morning. Medications can mess with the sleep cycle. Older adults may not fall into as deep a sleep pattern as when they were young. Despite this, ensure your parents get the best night’s sleep possible with a few changes.
Caregiver Albany NY – Make These Changes and Help Your Parents Sleep at Night
Be Consistent
When possible, your parents should have a consistent schedule. If they feel tired at 9 p.m., that’s when they should go to bed. Rather than set an alarm, let the body wake naturally with the sunrise. If they stick to that schedule, their bodies will get used to that pattern and rely on it.
Set Up a Soothing Sleep Area
Make sure the area where your parents sleep is designed to help them sleep. If the room is too warm, it is going to make it harder for them to sleep steadily. They’ll go through the cycles of too hot/too cold that makes them wake up to toss covers off or pull them back on. In a cooler room, they won’t wake up too hot.
White noise, such as a fan, can help drown out noises from outside that wake them up. A truck racing by or coyotes howling in the nearby woods are some of the things white noise helps with.
Spray the sheets and pillows with some lavender oil. Lavender can help calm and ease stress. Make it yourself to keep it from being too potent. Mix some distilled water and a few drops of essential oil in a spray bottle and spray that around.
Stop Late Night Beverages and Snacks
Make sure your parents are not having food and beverages close to bedtime. If they drink a glass of water right before bed, they’re more likely to wake up a few hours later and need to go to the bathroom. Food needs to be digested and increases the stomach acid that may travel upward when they’re laying down, which can lead to heartburn and gastric reflux discomfort.
It’s best for them to eat a few hours before bedtime and stop beverages at least an hour before. If they are thirsty, sips of water are ideal as bedtime nears.
Avoid Mid-Afternoon Naps
Your mom and dad have a habit of sleeping for a few hours each afternoon. That will disrupt their bedtime schedule. They may be too rested to fall asleep until much later in the evening. If they can go to bed at the same time, they may find themselves waking up hours earlier than they should.
If it’s hard to keep them from sleeping, call in caregivers to help. If your parents have a lot of activities to keep them busy, they’re less likely to want to sleep in the afternoon. Caregivers can take them to museums, parks, and senior centers to boost their social and physical activities. Talk to our home care agency to arrange caregiver visits.
