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Your beloved dad, who’s nearly 85, has been sleeping a lot lately, and he can spend hours in bed, even sleeping during the day. This alarms you because he always used to be so active, playing bingo with his friends and doing puzzles, but now when you go visit him, he hardly has the energy to do anything. How much sleep is too much for the elderly?
Too much sleep for the elderly (adults older than 65) is more than seven to eight hours per night, which is considered unhealthy. This points to an underlying problem, such as a health condition or the possible side effects of medications that can disrupt one’s sleep.
In this article, I’ll explore how much sleep is too much for the elderly, how to tell if your elderly loved one is sleeping too much, and what you can do to encourage healthier sleeping habits.
Is Your Elderly Loved One Sleeping Too Much?
If your elderly loved one sleeps more than seven or eight hours daily, this can be too much for them. However, it’s important to note that it’s normal for elderly people to take daytime naps, mainly because age-related issues can cause them to wake up at night.
Examples of issues that can encourage people to take daytime naps include having sore joints or the need to go to the bathroom frequently at night. There’s nothing wrong with this, as daytime naps can make up for lost sleep.
But, although napping is normal, daytime sleeping can be problematic for your elderly loved one if they spend most of the day sleeping or dozing off. This usually indicates an underlying problem.
For example, people who have dementia are prone to frequent daytime naps and might even lose interest in activities or meals in favor of sleeping, as Alzheimer’s Arkansas reports. Your loved one will continue their unhealthy sleeping habits if their underlying condition is not diagnosed and treated.
Signs Your Elderly Loved One Is Sleeping Too Much
Because your elderly loved one could be sleeping a bit more to compensate for lost sleep, it can sometimes be challenging to differentiate between normal and abnormal sleeping patterns, especially if you don’t live in the same house.
Here are common signs that your loved one is sleeping too much and needs intervention to address the underlying issue.
- They fall asleep at inappropriate times, such as when they have visitors or during a conversation.
- They miss meals at the expense of sleep.
- They fail to go to the bathroom because they’re in bed all day.
- They usually complain about other issues, such as restlessness.
- They are irritable, moody, or withdrawn from their loved ones.
- They feel tired but struggle to fall asleep.
- They don’t feel energized after a night of sleep.
- They feel drowsy or fatigued during the day.
- They fall asleep when watching television.
- They struggle to concentrate on activities.
- They rely on taking sleeping pills to sleep or ask their doctor for sleeping pills.
- They have trouble remembering things.
- They take dangerous risks, such as driving when they’re sleepy.
Underlying Issues That Cause Excessive Sleepiness
As I’ve already mentioned, there are some underlying issues and health conditions that can cause your elderly loved one to sleep a lot more than is normal. As Sleep Medicines Clinic reports, common underlying conditions that increase sleepiness for the elderly include:
Sleep Disorders
A common sleep disorder that affects most elderly adults is when they go to sleep early in the evening, only to wake up too early. Such inconsistent sleep patterns can induce sleep during the day, which increases the chances of restlessness, fatigue build-up, and even depression.
While you might assume this is normal because your elderly loved one has time to sleep whenever they want, it’s not. As Medical Clinics of North America reports, although sleep patterns do change as we get older, issues such as waking up tired or having disturbed sleep are not a normal part of aging.
Sleep issues can also be a symptom of health conditions or be a precursor to health conditions, such as:
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Cardiovascular disease
This is why it’s important for elderly loved ones to consult with a doctor if they’re experiencing fatigue and sleepiness or irregular sleep patterns. If you’ve noticed that your elderly loved one is regularly complaining about sleep issues, it’s worth checking in with their doctor.
Chronic Medical Conditions
Excessive daytime sleepiness can be caused by a variety of medical conditions, such as depression. Older adults with inflammatory conditions are also likely to sleep more than normal. Here are other medical conditions that can cause excessive sleeping.
- Restless legs syndrome (RLS). People diagnosed with this disorder experience a strong desire to move their legs, which often results in jerky movements throughout the night. This can naturally cause sleepiness when you need to be awake because it disrupts your sleep at night.
- Mood disorders. Oversleeping can be a symptom of a mood disorder that’s still undiagnosed. An example is bipolar disorder, which causes oversleeping and sleepiness during its depressive periods.
- Cognitive decline and/or dementia. Conditions such as dementia can lead to unusual sleepiness. This usually occurs as the damage to the person’s brain worsens over time.
- Heart disease. Cardiovascular disease causes fatigue because blood pumps less efficiently through the body, resulting in fluid build-up in the lungs. This leads to shortness of breath, which reduces the amount of oxygen that reaches the lungs and heart.
- Frequent urination. A condition called nocturia is when one needs to get up from bed to use the bathroom during the night. This affects about one in three older adults, as Urology reports.
- Terminal illness. It’s common for excessive sleeping to be a symptom of the end stage of life. This is usually seen in elderly people who have diseases such as COPD, where they spend more time sleeping because they struggle to breathe when sitting or lying down. Weeks before the end of life are also marked by fatigue, as Healthline reports.
Other Common Reasons for Sleepiness
Besides chronic medical conditions that can cause sleepiness or sleep disruptions, there are other factors that can make a senior drowsy. These include the following.
- Boredom. If your loved one lacks enthusiasm or skips activities they previously enjoyed when younger and healthier, they’re likely to get bored, which can result in increased sleep during the day. If they’re living in a senior living facility, it’s good to encourage them to participate in social activities.
- Medication side effects. Some common medications that cause sleepiness and drowsiness include a variety of pain medications. Antidepressants also commonly cause tiredness and fatigue. This is why doctors sometimes recommend taking them at night so that they don’t cause fogginess during the day, as Prevention reports.
- Grief. If your elderly relative is experiencing feelings of grief and loss, this could cause them to spend a lot of time sleeping. This is because strong emotional responses often lead to lethargy. When grieving something, such as one’s previous life or a person, a senior loved one can lose interest in several activities.
The Connection Between Sleep and Aging
It’s often said that when you get older, you don’t need much sleep. This isn’t true, as we’ve already seen that elderly people also require seven to eight hours of sleep at night.
But, as we continue to grow older, our bodies become less capable of operating optimally. This causes sleep disturbances, such as the inability to sleep properly at night and excessive sleeping during the day.
The reason why elderly people struggle to get the same amount of sleep as younger people is that the aging process disrupts the body’s circadian rhythm. This causes people to wake up earlier than they should or want to, which disrupts the natural sleeping pattern.
The natural process of aging also reduces one’s growth hormone levels, which results in lower slow-wave or deep sleep. This can lead to broken sleep, which, in turn, can cause one to sleep more during the day to compensate for not getting enough sleep at night.
Research has found that in middle age, processes linked to slow-wave sleep start to become weaker, which makes it hard to sleep for longer.
Then, in older age, circadian rhythms also become weaker as a result of body temperature changes and a decreased release of the melatonin hormone, as BBC reports. Melatonin encourages sleep, and its reduced release translates to poor sleep patterns in affected people.
Tips for Healthy Sleep Habits In the Elderly
If you’re worried about your elderly loved one who is sleeping too much, you should consult with their doctor, as there could be an underlying condition that is causing excessive sleeping.
There are also healthy habits that your loved one should consider to improve their overall sleeping patterns, as explained below.
Avoid Stimulants Later in the Day
A common culprit of poor sleep patterns is coffee, which has been found to delay the timing of the body’s internal clock, as Science Translational Medicine reports. This reduces how much sleep your loved one gets, disrupting their sleeping pattern and making it more difficult to sleep when they feel tired.
Exercise in the Morning
This should be done instead of exercising later in the day, which can make one feel more energetic when they should be settling down at night. Morning exercise enhances one’s mental focus and can also help to encourage a better night’s sleep, as UMH reports.
To encourage more exercise, I’d recommend the Healthy Seniors Chair Exercise Program with Two Resistance Bands ( available on Amazon.com). It contains 18 pages of exercises developed by a physical therapist for the elderly and comes with two resistance bands that can be used for various exercises, such as yoga.
Stick to the Same Bedtime Routine
Going to sleep at around the same time every night and then waking up around the same time every morning regulates sleep.
When the sun goes down, the brain perceives a lack of light as being time for sleep, which triggers the release of melatonin that stimulates neurochemicals to start the process of sleep, as the Cleveland Clinic reports.
Encourage a Relaxed Night-Time Environment
Setting a relaxing environment, such as with a comfortable mattress or dim night lighting, can help one feel relaxed, promoting better sleep.
If there’s something that makes your elderly loved one feel anxious at night, such as security-related fears, it’s best to sort these issues out to ensure they feel calmer as they head to bed.
When choosing the best night light, I’d recommend Sleep Aid Amber Night Light Plug with Dusk To Dawn Sensor (available on Amazon.com). It has a red glow that’s easy on the eyes and promotes a calm environment. It’s a plug-in device, so it’s easy to use.
Stick to the 20-Minute Rule
It’s counterproductive to try to sleep for hours unsuccessfully. If your loved one doesn’t manage to fall asleep within 20 minutes of having gone to bed, they should try doing a relaxing activity such as meditating or listening to music.
Switching to a different activity will help them relax and reduce anxiety or stress that often results from poor sleeping habits.
Avoid the Use of Sleeping Pills
It’s important for elderly loved ones who are struggling with unhealthy sleep habits to consult with their doctor about taking sleeping pills. But, they should only take them by prescription for a short period of time, as Harvard Health reports.
Taking sleeping tablets for a prolonged period of time can cause more intense side effects from the medication.
Eat Healthy Foods
Eating calories that contain a lot of unhealthy ingredients, such as oil and sugar, is ill-advised. These should be traded for nutritious foods that provide energy, as the National Institute on Aging reports.
Sugar should also be avoided because it causes changes to blood sugar, which can result in fatigue.
Keeping the eyes fully shut during sleep is crucial because it allows the brain to rest. If your elderly parent sleeps with eyes open, you should consult a doctor. There’s a chance that they may have an underlying condition called Nocturnal lagophthalmos. Click on the link to learn more about it. Why Do the Elderly Sometimes Sleep With Their Eyes Open?
Final Thoughts
If your elderly loved one is sleeping a lot more than usual, this is a red flag that something else could be going on, as it’s not a normal part of the aging process. There are some common reasons why an elderly person could be sleeping excessively, such as:
- Mood disorders
- Chronic health conditions
- Side effects of medication
- Boredom
- Grief
- Unhealthy sleeping habits, such as going to bed too late
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