Four Things You Need to Know About Sleep and Your Senior’s Drink Choices
Your senior can’t just give up drinking beverages, but sometimes those drink choices can be what interrupts her sleep at night. Even if your elderly family member doesn’t think she’s experiencing trouble sleeping because of what she’s drinking, she might be surprised. Here are some ways that might be happening.
Elderly Care in Prince William County VA: Senior’s Drink Choices
She Might Need to Focus on Incontinence
Focusing only on beverage choices might not be the way to get to an answer for your senior. It’s possible that she’s either dealing with incontinence that she hasn’t recognized yet or she’s worried about having an incident overnight. Finding solutions that work for incontinence, including products that help her to feel comfortable and confident overnight can really help.
Caffeine Is Sneaky
Your elderly family member might think that she’s avoiding caffeine, especially if it’s a big sleep destroyer for her, but she might be getting caffeine more than she realizes. Soft drinks, teas, and other foods and drinks can contain even a small amount of caffeine, especially if there’s chocolate involved. If your elderly family member is especially sensitive to caffeine, it’s important to understand where and how it can show up for her.
When Can Matter More Than What
If your elderly family member is drinking beverages, even ones without caffeine, later in the day they might have more of an effect on her ability to sleep than she realizes. Late afternoon is a prime time to realize that your senior might not have gotten much water that day, which might lead to a few extra beverages. The problem is that her body doesn’t have time to fully process those liquids, sending her to the bathroom much more often. Aim for getting the majority of your senior’s hydration goal earlier in the day.
One Final Bathroom Break Can Help
Building routines around bedtime is always a good idea in general. It’s a great idea to include a couple of bathroom breaks into a bedtime routine, especially if that routine spans over the period of an hour or so. This gives your senior’s body one final chance to get rid of any excess fluids before settling down for the night.
If you’re still not sure what might help, talk to your senior’s doctor. Something else that can give you a better understanding of your senior’s beverage choices throughout the day is to work with home care providers. They can help you to track what’s going on.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Elderly Care in Prince William County, VA, please contact the caring staff at LivinRite Home Care.
Call Us Today at (703) 634-9991.
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