Sleep Options For The Senior Citizen

| Tuesday, May 24, 2011
By Helga Smith


Elderly tend to take a nap or two in the afternoon. It is maybe their tired body or mind, but it is more often noticed that napping tendency with the elderly than with the younger people. But how safe is elderly napping in the first place?

Various researches have found that napping for over 20 minutes at a time can actually harm more than help. This is because they tend to disrupt the regular sleeping patterns and cycles of a person and when it comes the night time, the elderly cannot sleep. This leads to being very tired the next day, which leads to more naps during the day...see where this is going?

Of course taking a nap now and then it is ok. But if you have elderly in your home, make sure that you don't let them take longer naps than 20-30 minutes per day. This will not only make them fresh again but also help them with sleeping regularly during the night time, when one should actually sleep.

Another problem that doctors have warned about when it comes to taking naps is the issue of depression. People who are mostly depressed tend to sleep longer, not only during the night but also in the day. It is as if their whole energy left them. They no longer have the energy to do anything and they don't want to even get up from the bed either. This is bad. If you notice this tendency, you need to consult a doctor because it can lead to serious illnesses which might even need hospitalization.

When you see that the tendency to nap a couple of times during the day is there, you can do a trick that I used with my grandma with success. After the first nap make sure to open wide the curtains and blinds. This way the sun will enter the room and it is so much more difficult to take a nap with the sunlight in the eyes. It really works.

Is the elderly in your home taking any medications? Many times taking pills can lead to drowsiness and sleepiness due to the side effects that various pills have. It could easily be this the culprit so if you check the label and indeed it is a side effect, consult the doctor to see if he can prescribe something less strong that has no side effects that lead to overnapping. This way your grandma or grandpa will be active during the day and just rightly tired when it comes to finally retire to bed late at night.




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