Better Sleep For Seniors
By Shauna S Roberts
in Diabetes Forecast

During Sleep, both mind and body recuperate, helping you start the next day alert and energetic. But sleep quality tends to decline as you get older.

More than half of all seniors report trouble sleeping. Poor sleep can make you depressed, interfere with your memory, and increase your risk of falling. Worse yet, lack of sleep increases insulin resistance and causes stress hormones to be released, raising blood glucose (blood sugar) levels.

To improve your sleep:

• If you snore, tell your doctor. Snoring is a symptom of sleep apnea, a condition in which people wake repeatedly for lack of oxygen. The net result of these repeated awakenings is sleep deprivation. Sleep apnea can be treated.
• If you are overweight, losing some weight may improve your sleep.
• Get counseling if you are depressed.
• Exercise regularly. (But finish exercising at least three hours before bedtime or you may be too revved up to sleep.)
• Go to bed and get up at the same times every day.
• Take no more than one nap a day, and limit it to less than 30 minutes in the midafternoon.
• Check out the side effects of the medicines you take. Some drugs interfere with sleep.
• Nicotine is a stimulant. If you quit smoking, you may get an additional bonus: better sleep. At the very least, avoid smoking for an hour or more before bedtime.
• Eat lightly in the evening.
• Avoid alcohol; it causes nighttime awakenings.
• Avoid caffeine for six to eight hours before bedtime.
• If you wake up often to use the bathroom, cut back on liquids in the evening. (Be sure to get plenty of liquids during the rest of the day.)
• Create a routine for relaxing before bedtime. For example, read, meditate, take a warm bath, listen to soothing music, or drink a cup of herbal tea.
• Sleep on a comfortable, supportive mattress.
• If things you need to do race through your head, keep a notebook by your bed. Write the tasks down so your brain can set them aside and you can fall asleep.
• A quiet, dark, cool bedroom works best for most people.
• If pain keeps you awake, talk to your doctor about getting better pain control.
• Don't engage in arousing activities right before bed, such as working, arguing, or paying bills.

From Diabetes Forecast - June 2004
Copyright American Diabetes Association
June 2004

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