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Sleepless in Vancouver

Monday, February 20, 2006

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Question

People say you sleep less when you get old. Does this happen to everyone? And should I keep on taking sleeping pills once in a while if it puts me to sleep?

Answer

Insomnia is a common affliction as we get older. As we age, we typically have shallower sleep and fragmentation becomes more common. There are a number of signs and symptoms of insomnia:

• Having a hard time staying asleep. You may also have problems with waking up too early.
• Having a hard time falling asleep (taking 30 to 45 minutes or longer to fall asleep).
• Waking up many times each night.
• Feeling tired, irritable (cranky) and having a hard time concentrating (focusing on one thing) during the day. 

Insomnia may be driven by a number of factors, so you should find out what is causing loss of sleep in your case. The following is a list of possible causes for insomnia:

• Medical conditions: pain or health conditions (Alzheimer’s disease, allergies, heart disease, asthma, etc)
• Emotional disorders: a large number of seniors point depression or a psychological factor as the main cause of chronic insomnia.
• Hormonal fluctuations in women / Hormonal changes during aging
• Nightly leg problems: restless legs or leg cramps are common causes of insomnia, particularly in seniors.
• Eating habits: drinking coffee before bed or going to bed with a full or empty stomach.
• Genetic factors: someone in the family might have had this problem before.

Taking sleeping pills is not necessarily the best solution for everyone, especially for older people; they are twice as likely to experience an adverse event as they are to gain a better quality of sleep from sleeping pills. Therefore, it is also important for you to try all non-drug treatments to insomnia before you consider medication. If the non-drug treatments do not help, talk to your physician. You can do the following non-drug treatments to increase the quality of your sleep

• Do not watch TV, read, or eat in bed. Use your bed only for sleep or intimacy.
• Create a comfortable bedroom environment.
• Go to bed only when you feel tired.
• Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. This will help your system schedule your sleep time.
• Before going to bed, avoid caffeine-containing products, alcohol, and nicotine
• Exercise regularly but not too close to your desired bedtime.
• Avoid feeling full or hungry before going to bed.
• Avoid taking long naps during the day.
• Try relaxation techniques.