Sleep Disorder In Elderly People

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!

by:AudreyLynn

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