10 Tips for Insomnia in Seniors

Help Seniors Sleep Better

Insomnia can cause mental confusion. It can lead to other health problems. There are some very hand tips for preventing insomnia in seniors. Insomnia can also happen because seniors wake up in the middle of the night and cannot get back to sleep.

TIP #1 CUT OUT CAFFIENE: Do not allow seniors to drink caffeine after lunch. Caffeine stays in the body much longer then most people realize. Decreasing or cutting out caffeine will help seniors to sleep in the evenings. You want to have them avoid candy bars that have caffeine too.

TIP #2 SLEEPING POSITION: Some seniors suffer from sleep apnea. The sleep apnea can then wake them in the night. It is important to sleep with the upper part of the body slightly elevated. You can even elevate the top of the bed. This will also help with indigestion, heart burn and other medical conditions.

TIP #3 COMFORTABLE BEDDING: If you are not comfortable you will wake often in the night and have trouble falling back asleep. Make sure that the bedding is comfortable.

TIP #4 DARKNESS: You only want enough light in the room for the senior to be able to see to go to the rest room in the night. Use a night light and lower wall lights instead of a table lamp. Too much light can interrupt sleep patterns and cause insomnia.

TIP #5 LIMITED NAPS: It is good to have thirty minutes to one hour of rest in the middle of the day. However, if the senior is having sleep problems you might want to cut out naps or shorten them each day to reduce them down to fifteen minutes or none.

TIP #6 BEDTIME SNACK: Make sure that the senior has a bedtime snack. This will prevent waking from hunger in the middle of the night and not being able to fall back asleep. You need to encourage fluids to prevent dehydration.

TIP #7 AVOID EVENING SHOWERS: Evening showers tend to wake people up. You don't want the senior to shower close to bedtime. Have them shower roughly two hours before bedtime.

TIP #8 RELAXATION TIME: Give the senior about thirty minutes of relaxation time before turning all the lights out. They need time to unwind and for their bodies to realize that it is time to rest for the evening. Visitors and phone calls should be limited one hour before bedtime.