Page 50 - Seniorstoday July 2024 Issue

possible. Ideally, your bedroom should be requires a lot of consideration and care.
quiet, dark and at a temperature less than
75 degrees Fahrenheit (about 23 degrees
Celsius). You should use your bed only for
sleeping. Try to avoid looking at your cell
phone, working, playing video games, or
watching TV in bed.
Your doctor may also recommend the
following to help you sleep well at night:
• Get exercise and eat nutritious meals.
• Avoid tobacco and caffeine.
• Practice going to bed only when you’re
tired. Lying awake in bed can be harmful to
a good night’s rest. If you’re lying awake in
bed for 20 minutes without feeling sleepy,
you should get up and keep busy in another
room until you feel tired again.
• Commit to waking up at the same time
each morning and avoid napping during
the day.
• Keep a sleep diary. Record your time
asleep and awake, how long it takes to fall
asleep each night, and other important
patterns. Based on your sleep diary notes, a
doctor may tell you to restrict your time in
bed each night until your sleep improves.
Once you can sleep for at least 90% of the
time you spend in bed, you can begin to go
to sleep earlier.
If these treatments are not effective,
your doctor may consider prescribing
sleep medications. Choosing appropriate
insomnia medication for older adults
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Some of these medications can lead to
dependence and risk of withdrawal.
You should always speak with your
doctor before taking any medications for
insomnia.
Hence, while insomnia is not a
normal part of the aging process, its
prevalence increases with age. Factors
such as medications and medical and
psychiatric disorders can increase the
risk for insomnia. In order to diagnose
insomnia, it is important for older adults to
complete comprehensive sleep and health
histories. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
for Insomnia, which includes stimulus
control, sleep restriction, sleep hygiene,
and cognitive therapy, is the recommended
first-line treatment for insomnia and is
more effective than medications for the
long-term management of insomnia.
Medications such as benzodiazepines and
antidepressants should be avoided for
the treatment of insomnia in older adults.
Alternatives, such as pranic healing or
ayurveda could be considered.
Remember that “Sleep is an investment
in the energy you need to be effective
tomorrow… and of course, Sleep is the best
meditation.”