Their organs are slowing down, and they have less energy. As a result, their body needs more rest to work effectively. When people grow older, they also spend more time sleeping because they can't do as many things as quickly as before. Sleep signifies the end of one's day and enables the body to make quick repairs.
Changes in the phase of the circadian rhythm can develop in the elderly, influencing the timing of the sleep period. Many older patients experience a phase advance in their sleep-wake cycle, causing them to feel sleepy early in the evening.
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. Untreated depression can also be the cause of daytime sleepiness.
Sleep and Aging
Older adults need about the same amount of sleep as all adults—7 to 9 hours each night.
Some sleep experts suggest that seniors actually need less sleep than other age groups. Most people need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep whereas many seniors can get away with 7.5 hours. Other experts believe that seniors need just as much sleep as the rest of the population.
As people age, they tend to sleep more lightly than when they were younger. Waking up during the night due to achy joints or the need to use the restroom becomes commonplace. Many seniors compensate for this lost sleep by catching a restorative nap during the day. That's normal.
Around 20% of older people experience excessive daytime sleepiness, which may be a sign of an underlying health condition. Excessive daytime sleepiness in older adults may be a symptom of health issues like sleep apnea, cognitive impairment, or cardiovascular issues.
Traditionally, the “elderly” are considered to be those persons age 65 and older.
Vitamin B12 Deficiency: A Rare Cause of Excessive Daytime Sleepiness.
Hypersomnia is a condition in which people have excessive daytime sleepiness. This means they feel tired during the day. Hypersomnia can also include situations in which a person needs to sleep a lot.
What is hypersomnia? Hypersomnia refers to medical conditions in which you repeatedly feel excessively tired during the day (called excessive daytime sleepiness) or sleep longer than usual at night. It is different from feeling tired due to lack of or interrupted sleep at night.
The United States' older adult population can thus, be divided into three life-stage subgroups: the young-old (approximately 65 to 74 years old), the middle-old (ages 75 to 84 years old), and the old-old (over age 85).
Typically, the elderly has been defined as the chronological age of 65 or older. People from 65 to 74 years old are usually considered early elderly, while those over 75 years old are referred to as late elderly.
Natural changes happen in the body as we age, such as skin damage from sun exposure, loss of muscle and physical strength, loss of some sight and hearing, as well as changes to our sleep patterns, energy levels and appetite.
Sleeping more and more is a common feature of later-stage dementia.
Administration: The examiner reads a list of 5 words at a rate of one per second, giving the following instructions: “This is a memory test. I am going to read a list of words that you will have to remember now and later on. Listen carefully. When I am through, tell me as many words as you can remember.
The Mini-Cog test.
A third test, known as the Mini-Cog, takes 2 to 4 minutes to administer and involves asking patients to recall three words after drawing a picture of a clock. If a patient shows no difficulties recalling the words, it is inferred that he or she does not have dementia.
While making a habit of spending the day in bed or on the couch is not good for anyone, using it as a well-placed conscious tool for your emotional and mental well-being is absolutely ok. As a matter of fact, it's an investment in your health.
Insomnia in the Elderly
In elderly individuals, sleep‐maintenance insomnia and early awakening are more common complaints than sleep‐onset insomnia; this is likely due to the age‐related changes in sleep architecture and circadian rhythm described above.
Sleep Changes in Older Adults. Most healthy older adults aged 65 or older need 7-8 hours of sleep each night to feel rested and alert. But as you age, your sleep patterns may change. These changes can cause insomnia, or trouble sleeping.
Poor airway health causes mouth breathing. When the airway is narrowed or blocked, patients resort to breathing through their mouths because they're not getting enough oxygen from nasal breathing.
The doctor called it hypoactive delirium, and it's apparently common in dementia patients in a strange environment. Someone could be ill, in pain, dehydrated, confused or suffer from medication side effects.
Late adulthood spans the time when we reach our mid-sixties until death. This is the longest developmental stage across the lifespan.