Their organs are slowing down, and they have less energy. As a result, their body needs more rest to work effectively. When people grow older, they also spend more time sleeping because they can't do as many things as quickly as before. Sleep signifies the end of one's day and enables the body to make quick repairs.
Compared with younger adults, the elderly spend more time in bed but have deterioration in both the quality and quantity of sleep. All of these changes can lead to excessive daytime sleepiness, which in turn can lead to intentional and unintentional napping.
Some conditions linked to daytime fatigue include type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, depression, high blood pressure, heart failure, low thyroid hormone levels, and certain vitamin deficiencies. "Some of these underlying conditions can be easily screened and treated," she said.
Treatment for Excessive Sleepiness in the Elderly
Armodafinil is a wake-promoting agent that can be used to treat narcolepsy and sleep apnea. Benzodiazepine receptor agonists are hypnotics that can assist with nighttime sleep. Melatonin is an over-the-counter supplement that helps one fall asleep and wake up on time.
Cardiovascular decline: One geriatric medicine study showed that long sleep duration is associated with an increased cardiovascular mortality rate in seniors 65 and over. It showed that more than 14 hours of sleep during a 24-hour cycle on a constant basis increases cardiovascular morbidity by 43%.
Older adults need about the same amount of sleep as all adults—7 to 9 hours each night. But, older people tend to go to sleep earlier and get up earlier than they did when they were younger. There are many reasons why older people may not get enough sleep at night.
Almost all older people sleep more than the average adult. This is because sleep helps maintain our physical and psychological health. Sleeping also improves memory and slows down the process of aging. To stop the effects of aging, we need to sleep more.
As people age, they tend to sleep more lightly and often awaken during the night from achy joints or the need to go to the bathroom. Many people compensate for this lost sleep by catching a restorative nap during the day. That's normal.
Some decline in energy is to be expected with age, but intense and life-altering fatigue is concerning. Aging doesn't have to completely impair you or prevent you from living your life to the fullest. You shouldn't accept these signs and symptoms as a normal part of the aging process.
Who is Defined as Elderly? Typically, the elderly has been defined as the chronological age of 65 or older. People from 65 to 74 years old are usually considered early elderly, while those over 75 years old are referred to as late elderly.
One possible reason for feeling tired, anxious, and weak is having low levels of iron, vitamin D, or B12. Many experts believe that a significant percentage of the U.S. population is deficient in vitamin D.
Hypersomnia is a condition in which people have excessive daytime sleepiness. This means they feel tired during the day. Hypersomnia can also include situations in which a person needs to sleep a lot.
Conditions such as narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia are thought to influence the hormones responsible for promoting wakefulness, causing sleepiness during the day. Similarly, people with circadian rhythm disorders experience a disconnect between their inner body clock and the times when they need to be awake.
Sleeping more and more is a common feature of later-stage dementia. As the disease progresses, the damage to a person's brain becomes more extensive and they gradually become weaker and frailer over time.
However, as we age, many may notice their energy levels aren't as high as they once were – suddenly afternoon naps become even more appealing. In fact, according to a study by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society in 2010, nearly a third of people aged 51 and up experience fatigue.
Excessive daytime sleepiness in older adults may be a symptom of health issues like sleep apnea, cognitive impairment, or cardiovascular issues.
The most common causes of excessive sleepiness are sleep deprivation and disorders like sleep apnea and insomnia. Depression and other mental health conditions, certain medications, and medical conditions affecting the brain and body can cause daytime drowsiness as well.
Sleep deprivation:
One of the main causes of falling asleep when sitting down is you're not getting enough sleep at night. According to the National Institute on Aging, adults need 7-9 hours of sleep each night for optimal health.
What Does Sleep Look Like in Older Adults? According to their internal body clock, most older adults need to go to sleep around 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. and wake up at 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. Many people fight their natural inclination to sleep and choose to go to bed several hours later instead.
Older people wake up an average of 3 or 4 times each night. They are also more aware of being awake. Older people wake up more often because they spend less time deep sleep.
Orexins are chemicals that are involved in regulating the sleep-wake cycle and play a role in keeping people awake. This type of drug alters the action of orexin in the brain. These include daridorexant (Quviviq), lemborexant (Dayvigo) and suvorexant (Belsomra).
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
It's also involved in antioxidant and detox, and is needed to make hormones such as thyroid hormones too. Tiredness is a common symptom that can arise when thyroid hormones are low. If there's not enough B3 in your diet, you may start to feel tired.
However, the authors' previous and current research suggests that suboptimal levels of vitamin D may cause or contribute to excessive daytime sleepiness, either directly or by means of chronic pain.