Aging and Sleep
Is your sleep the same as it was when you were younger?
The answer is no. With age, sleeping patterns change. Nearly half of people age 65 or above have at least one sleep disorder. Older people tend to sleep less, wake up and go back to sleep frequently, and spent less time in deep sleep. So there is a relation between sleep and age. The more you grow up, the less you’ll have sleep.
What causes sleep problems with age?
Sleeping patterns change with age in almost every person. There are several reasons for which older people get less sleep.
i. Circadian Rhythm: Body’s internal clock changes with age. The suprachiasmatic nucleus(SCN) controls the 24 hours cycles called circadian rhythm which controls when a people get sleepy or not, and hungry. This SCN changes with age and so is circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm works with light exposure and research says that when you get older the light exposure becomes less and circadian rhythm is disturbed. Hormones like melatonin, cortisol also play a role in sleep. And older people tend to produce fewer hormones. So eventually sleep becomes disrupted.
ii. Poor sleep habits:Following sleep hygiene is very important for anyone to get a good sleep. In older people, if you do not follow good sleep habits and maintain your sleep schedule then sleep problems happen very easily. iii. Medication: With age, many problems occur and for that, we need to have different types of medications. Some drugs make it harder to get sleep.
iv. Stress or grief:With age, life changes a lot. Some have to lose their dear ones. Some have different problems. Stress and grief come from there and make it difficult to get healthy sleep.
v. Other health problems: Many health issues occur during old age. Diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, apnea, REM behavior disorders, Restless leg syndrome are some common problems that occur in old people. These conditions affect sleep. v. Lifestyle and sleep: Sleep is affected by changing lifestyle. With retirement when work is less, significantly your life changes a lot. Social isolation makes you stress. That can affect your sleep.
Do older people need less sleep?
According to National Institution on aging, older people tend to have difficulty falling asleep but they don’t need less sleep. National sleep foundation shows that people age 60 or above need 7-8 hours of sleep each night.
Common sleep issues in older people: Common sleep issues in older people are-
• Pain: Pain and sleeplessness can be a cycle, in which less sleep can lead to more pain. Discomfort and pain make this so. It is a problem to diagnose and solve.
• Nocturia: Nocturia or nighttime urination is a common problem seen in every old adult. Physical changes in the urinary system create this problem.
• Insomnia: Difficulty in falling and staying asleep is a quite common problem. Insomnia can be caused for different overlapping factors. If you have had insomnia for a long time consulting with your doctor is a must.
• Daytime drowsiness: As sleep is disrupted during the night, daytime drowsiness occurs. They feel tired and drowsy in the daytime. About 20% of old adults have daytime excessive sleepiness. It is maybe a symptom of having sleep apnea, cognitive impairment, or cardiovascular disease.
• Sleep apnea: Obstructive sleep apnea can cause breathing intervals during sleep. It causes fragmented sleep and affects oxygen levels of the body. It also causes headaches, difficulty in thinking clearly, and daytime sleepiness.
• Restless Leg Syndrome: RLS causes an urge to move legs while sleeping. It is seen in almost 9% to 20% of old adults. It impacts sleep and quality of life.
• REM sleep behavior disorder: This disorder makes people act out their dreams or becomes violent while they’re dreaming. This primarily affects older people.
How do old adults get good sleep?
Research shows that changing some habits mostly lifestyle habits can give some relief to older people. Here are some tips to get good sleep-
• Exercise: Exercise is one of the best things that older people can do to get sleep. Studies have shown that people who do exercise regularly are more likely to fall asleep, sleep longer, and have deep sleep.
• Reduce bedroom distractions: Any kind of electronic device makes it difficult to fall asleep. So avoid these electronic gadgets like mobile phones, laptops, and tablets before and during bedtime. Moving these out of your bedroom makes you fall asleep.
• Avoid substances that discourage sleep: Substances like alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, and even large meals at late night can make it difficult to fall asleep.
• Keep a sleep schedule: It is very important to go to sleep at a certain time and wake up at the same time. Maintaining the wake-sleep cycle can make it easy to fall asleep. So having a consistent time to sleep and wake is a crucial part.
• Keeping a bedtime routine: Try to find some activities before bedtime which relax you. Keep these activities doing on a regular basis.
Some safe tips:
Insufficient sleep creates many problems in older people. So it is important to have a safer night’s sleep-
i. Keep a telephone beside the bed so that you can call anyone for help immediately from bed.
ii. Make sure light is within reach so that no accident occurs in dark.
iii. Never smoke in bed.