It is estimated that there are different 70 kinds of sleep disorders but most of these are unusual. In young children, they are most terrorized by somnambulism or sleepwalking and nightmares. Elder aged people common sleep disorders are apnea and restless leg syndrome. These are common in senior citizens who suffer obesity, heart failures and cerebrovascular diseases.  Sleep experts are still finding ways to diagnose these kinds of conditions. As elderly caregiver, you should be informed about this to provide our folks with the right remedy.

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is the condition indicated with excessive sleep during the day with frequent snoring and gasping of air then return to snoring again. It happens mostly for men than women and to those heavy individuals.  Common cause of this is the crumpling of airways letting no air to pass through. That’s why victims may stop snoring to gasp air again. Snoring causes the air passages to crumple because of the vibration effect. Most cases may cause death when one may not be able to gasp back air which leads to oxygen deprivation.

Some sleep medications, sedatives and alcohol may worsen the condition. These may also cause grouchiness and fatigue. You should also prohibit individuals with this condition from driving. W

What are the remedies?

Home caregivers who care about elderly people can apply some remedies. Few remedies can be applied among elderly who suffer with this condition.

  • Changing sleeping position can lessen snores. Instead of lying flat, try to position your elderly in sideways with the back inclined from the bed.
  • Losing weight and exercising are also great help in preventing this condition as this would occur to heavy obese people.
  • Another effective remedy is using dental gadgets that grip the tongue or jaw forward during sleep so that the airways remain open.  Other oldsters utilizes breathing machine that pumps air through air passages. Some doctors provide relief by conducting surgery to widen the airways.

By knowing these facts, we will be able to provide our folks with proper elderly care and assistance to cope up with this sleeping disorder.

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