|
Sleep Disorder
For The Elderly
Numerous
complaints of sleep difficulty are common when you grow old.
Sleep disorder, elderly people’s problem, is caused by either
of the following conditions: acute medical illnesses (heart
problems, respiratory problems, rheumatic disorder and
inflammatory disease to name a few), medication effects and
poor sleeping habits.
As people grow old, they are more and
more susceptible to cardiovascular, pulmonary and most
especially, central nervous system effects. It is common among
the elderly to achieve small amounts of night time sleep.
Although, it should not be assumed that they require less
amount of sleep; that is why, they should be given proper care
and attention on a daily basis.
What is the primary sleep disorder elderly folk experience?
Actually, there is not just one but a lot. These are related to
aging and there is no way they can avoid it but they can help
prevent it from happening. Are they snoring so loud? Are they
overweight or obese? Do they experience day time
sleepiness?
If they answer yes to one or all of these questions, they
may have a sleep disorder called sleep apnea. This is a sleep
disorder that makes a person pause his breathing cycles during
sleep. This condition can be found among the young and
middle-aged people. A good way to lessen and prevent such
disorder from worsening is to loose weight.
Another sleep disorder among the elderly is periodic limb
movement. These are repetitive kicking of the legs during
sleep. Some may believe in an urban legend that kicking of legs
while at sleep is a sign of growth. Growth spurts usually stop
at puberty and these people are way past their puberty stage so
it is something else. To relieve them from this disorder, they
can be given Dopaminergic agents such as Vitamin C and Vitamin
B6.
One more sleep disorder elderly people complain about, is
the restless legs syndrome; characterized by pacing to
and fro in the evenings. This is actually common with patients
suffering from iron deficiency and renal failure. Like the
periodic limb movement which results to sleep disorders, the
elderly may be administered with Dopaminergic agents,
benzodiazepines (i.e. Valium) and opiates like Morphine to help
them relax and fall asleep.
Thomas Decker, an English dramatist, once said that “Sleep
is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies
together.”
What are you waiting for? Go sleep to keep on living!
|