By doing so, you’ll at least get support in your caregiving, and you may find a workable solution.įortunately some individuals can still work or volunteer part time. Ask for help from physicians, friends and other caregivers. However, in the many instances where medication, depression or boredom are causing the problem, medical help and scheduled entertainment may be the answer.ĭon’t try to solve the problem alone. If a physician says he or she is nearing the end of life, it’s up to the family to accept that fact, comfort their loved one and not try to provoke them into activity. Your goal–determine why your loved one is sleeping all day. If ADC isn’t an option perhaps hiring someone to come in during the day to provide companionship and some day trips may help your loved one maintain an interest in life. Once your loved one has arrived there will be professionals and peers to keep things lively.Īfter a few hours at ADC, your loved one may be much more apt to be tired in the evening. Needing to adhere to a schedule such as being ready for the ADC bus can alone be very helpful. These elders may not be clinically depressed, but with no schedule to keep and not much going on in their lives, they slide into the habit of napping most of the day.Īdult day care (ADC) can be a help to people who want to preprevent a loved one from sleeping during the day. They may struggle with reading or puzzles because of poor eyesight. As people age, they may suffer from chronic pain. Some doctors think that depression is highly under diagnosed in our elderly population, so having your loved one checked for depression by a qualified doctor is important. Untreated depression can also be the cause of daytime sleepiness. If your loved one is sleeping too much during the day, ask the doctor to review the medications and see if an adjustment can be made. Other common medications such as blood pressure drugs can also cause people to nod off. While antidepressants can be a blessing, finding the right one can take time and sleepiness can be a side effect of many of them. There was a time when these drugs were widely used, but now they are typically prescribed for elders only when nothing else is effective. If your loved one is on one of these medications, have a serious talk with the physician. Often, that means some socialization through visitors, attending events at a senior center or even adult day care.Ītypical (second generation) antipsychotics are notoriously bad for most elderly patients. If the doctor’s determination is simply that your loved one is bored, then you’ll need to find ways to stimulate his or her interest in life. If you want your loved one to stay awake more during the day and hopefully sleep better at night you may likely need the help of the physician.Ī doctor can determine if depression, pain, vitamin deficiencies or medications could be at the root of this daytime sleepiness. People with dementia seem especially prone to this type of daytime sleeping, sometimes losing interest in meals and even failing to notice that they need to use the bathroom.īoredom, depression, chronic pain and/or nutritional deficiencies can be some of the underlying causes that account for excessive daytime sleeping. That’s normal.ĭaytime sleeping becomes a problem when an elder spends the majority of the day dozing in a chair rather than engaging in life. Many people compensate for this lost sleep by catching a restorative nap during the day. As people age, they tend to sleep more lightly and often awaken during the night from achy joints or the need to go to the bathroom.
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