Most people have some sort of routine, especially for the important areas of their lives. For seniors, improving their routines around bedtime can help them greatly improve the quality of the sleep they’re getting. If sleep has been a problem in the past, looking at why that has happened can help. Senior home care providers can help aging adults learn where their sleep routines are failing them and how to adjust them to help them have better days and nights.
Create Consistent Sleep Schedules
Almost every sleep expert recommends that people remain consistent with their sleep schedules. Sudden or dramatic variations in sleep schedules make it difficult for aging adults to maintain quality sleep levels.
Going to bed and waking up around the same time helps quite a bit. It also helps to avoid long naps and napping too late in the day.
Reset the Circadian Rhythm
Taking the time to set up bedtime and daily routines that support sleep can help seniors to reset their circadian rhythms. This is the natural rhythm that people experience that moves them through waking, going through their days, and then sleeping.
When seniors have no routines or bad routines around sleep, they may find that their circadian rhythms almost become reversed. Setting solid sleep and wake times can help, and coordination with senior home care helpers is a great start.
Reduce Stress
Stress is a huge issue in so many health issues for aging adults. Working out which activities and routines help to reduce stress can have the same impact on sleep issues.
Practicing deep breathing, for instance, or learning to meditate can help bring stress levels down quickly. These techniques can also be helpful when seniors have trouble sleeping because they can use them to ease into a relaxed state before bed.
Address Nutritional Challenges
When seniors aren’t properly fueling their bodies, it’s tougher to do just about everything, including sleep well. Senior home care providers can offer assistance with planning healthy meals and shopping for the ingredients.
If necessary, they can also help with preparing meals and keeping seniors stocked with healthy foods that keep their bodies and brains nutritionally balanced.
Put a Plan in Place for Moving More
If seniors are cleared by their doctors to exercise, it’s a powerful way to help them get better sleep. When seniors exercise regularly, they may fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
The key to any exercise plan is that seniors should make sure they start out slowly with activities they enjoy doing. That makes it easier to continue exercising so they can really get all of the benefits that they are looking for from being more physically active.
Getting better sleep isn’t an exact science for seniors who are trying to age in place. Making some of these changes can help them to see results, however, and senior home care providers can make it easier to adapt their routines.
As they start to sleep better on a more consistent basis, they may find it easier to adopt even more of these healthier routines, allowing them to keep building on their success.
If you or someone you know needs Senior Home Care in Buffalo, MN, contact Adara Home Health. We provide quality and affordable home care services for many fragile or senior members in the communities we serve. Call us at (888) 525-7742 for more information.