Joan is a retired elementary school teacher. She is the kind that students remember with great fondness. Now she’s 84 years old and life has changed. She has Alzheimer’s Disease and lives with her daughter’s family. Although she can still hold a conversation, she is anxious. She falls asleep for long periods during the day but is frequently awake at night. Then she goes from room to room switching on the lights and searching for her cat. Her PCP prescribes a sedative. However, one night, Joan’s search for the cat leads her outside, and she […]
Tag Archives: sleep
YOUR Path to Good Sleep
The last several posts have been about the importance of sleep and the barriers that older adults face. We’ve all seen ads for expensive beds that will miraculously improve sleep. But buying an expensive bed is not the right way to start. It’s also not the correct first step to ask a health care provider for a sleeping pill. A logical, calm, and customized approach is needed. This post is about finding YOUR path to the best sleep possible. Sleep clinics consistently start with a sleep journal Journals examine sleep patterns over a period of […]
Are medicines making it hard for me to sleep?
Are medicines making it hard for me to sleep? I was asked this question after my last post. Many people, including seniors, need more and better sleep to feel good and live well. National Sleep Week (March 12-18, 2023) highlighted that sleep is a health issue in a sleepless world. There were 3 points I emphasized in my post about the importance of sleep. Sleep is different from rest. The body and brain do important work that occurs only with sleep, not with rest. Good sleep means more than a recommended number of hours. Quality […]
How did you sleep, Honey?
I say this to my wife almost every morning. It’s my way of showing affection because sleep is very important. We are lucky in three ways: 1) Despite our many ups and downs, we have a good marriage, even better over the years. 2) Our sleep clocks are quite similar and 3) We are good sleepers …. most of the time. Every once in a while, because of life stresses, one of us doesn’t sleep well. The result? We’re tired and maybe a bit grumpy. Eating, sleeping, and bowel movements (E-S-BM) are essential. I call […]