Seniors with insomnia could benefit from weight training exercises

From upi.com/Health_News

Seniors battling insomnia are best off picking up some dumbbells or doing some push-ups, a new evidence review suggests.

Resistance exercise, activities that make muscles work against an external force, appears to be the best means of improving sleep in older adults, researchers found.

"Exercise that strengthens muscles, rather than aerobic or combination exercises, is the most effective way to enhance sleep quality," concluded the research team led by Dr. Kittiphon Nagaviroj, an associate professor with Ramathibodi Hospital at Mahidol University in Bangkok.

However, the review also found that aerobic exercise or a combination of strength, aerobic, balance and flexibility exercises can also be effective against insomnia, researchers reported Tuesday in the journal Family Medicine and Community Health.

Resistance exercise, activities that make muscles work against an external force, appears to be the best means of improving sleep in older adults, researchers found. Adobe stock/HealthDay

Sleep quality tends to decline with age, and up to 1 in 5 seniors has insomnia, seniors said in background notes.

Exercise has been shown to help alleviate insomnia, but it's not been clear what type of exercise would be most effective, researchers added.

For their review, the researchers pooled data from 25 previous clinical trials involving nearly 2,200 people.

The studies compared aerobic exercises -- cycling, dancing, swimming, brisk walking or gardening -- against resistance exercises, researchers said. Resistance exercise could include weightlifting or body-weight training like push-ups or planks.

People engaging in resistance exercises had 5.7-point average increase in their sleep quality scores, results show.

By comparison, aerobic exercise improved sleep quality scores by 3.7 points and combination exercise by 2.5 points.

"Exercise, particularly strengthening exercise and aerobic exercise, is beneficial for enhancing subjective sleep quality at a clinically significant level compared with normal activities," researchers concluded.

https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2025/03/05/thailand-seniors-sleep-weight-exercises/3471741204213/ 

Tired and retired? Here’s how to get a good night’s sleep

From marketwatch.com

The path to better sleep starts with regulating your circadian patterns

After decades of toiling in the working world, you’re exhausted. Retirement is your chance for renewal, where you can regain energy and lust for life.

That’s the grand plan. But don’t count on that renewal: Many retirees no longer stick to a work schedule, so their sleeping patterns change—not necessarily for the better.

You might end up tired and retired. Insomnia can become your new night-time scourge as you ponder how and why your circadian rhythms got so out of whack.

“Many people 65+ find that their sleep quality diminishes,” said Brandon Peters, M.D., a sleep physician at Virginia Mason Medical Centre in Seattle. “You may only need seven or eight hours of sleep. But you may spend nine or 10 hours in bed” due to sleeping in.

Lounging in bed feels good at the time. But it comes at a cost: It can throw off the consistent cycle of waking up on cue that you established during your work life and leave you less able to sleep soundly.

Other factors can cause you to struggle to fall asleep, experience wakeful periods throughout the night or awake prematurely (say, around 4:00 a.m.). Examples include side effects from medications or a more sedentary lifestyle that leaves you less apt to sleep well. Even relatively minor ailments, like leg cramps, afflict older people more often and disrupt sleep.

Staying active and on a schedule can help you to sleep better. Getty Images

The path to better sleep starts with regulating your circadian patterns. Getting exposure to direct sunlight soon after you wake up helps because light keeps circadian rhythms in check.

“I tell my patients to get 15 minutes of sunlight within 15 minutes of waking,” said Peters, author of “Sleep Through Insomnia.” “Consistent, natural lighting exposure” is better than remaining indoors in a well-lit room.

Regular exercise during the day—or at least maintaining an active lifestyle and limiting napping—increases the odds of sleeping soundly at night. In the hour before bedtime, engage in a relaxing activity such as pleasure reading or even watching a non-stressful television program.

“It’s OK to watch television before bed, as long as the TV is in a different room from your bedroom,” Peters said. “It’s important to have that time to unwind.”

Yet he cautions against bringing your phone into bed and glancing at it as you tuck yourself in. Depending on your phone’s display and brightness settings, the light can stymie your efforts to fall asleep.

“Having a [TV] screen across the room is different from light that’s directly in front of your face,” Peters said.

If you’re going to read in bed, Peters recommends printed books although he adds that tablets “are probably fine.” Just make sure to use settings that filter out blue light on the screen. Selecting the night reading mode (usually white text on black background) might help as well.

Another common cause of persistent awakenings is obstructive sleep apnoea. Left untreated, it can lead to other health problems.

Peters suggests that older people enrol in a sleep study if they’re concerned about sleep disorders. Use the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s online directory to find an accredited sleep centre that diagnoses and treats such issues.

Sleep studies are usually covered by insurance. After an initial consultation, you may be able to participate from home under the care of a certified sleep medicine physician.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/tired-and-retired-heres-how-to-get-a-good-nights-sleep-11627580467

Addressing Later-Life Sleep Problems

From yonkerstribune.com

WHITE PLAINS, NY — May 8, 2021 — Some changes in our sleep patterns are perfectly normal as we grow older. Older adults tend to go to sleep earlier in the evening, and wake up earlier in the morning. Research shows that older adults may need a little less sleep than they did in younger years. This is good to know, because, ironically, worrying about our sleep can actually make it harder to sleep!

“But not all the sleep changes seniors experience are normal,” notes Lou Giampa, President/Owner of Right at Home Westchester. Giampa says that incontinence, pain from arthritis or osteoporosis, digestive problems, and the side effects of certain medications can affect sleep. Sleep problems can even be a long-term effect of COVID-19. Managing these health conditions can help our sleep—so important, because sleep problems are linked with memory loss, depression, high blood pressure, irritability that affects our relationships, and a lack of alertness that can cause falls and car accidents.

Giampa says families should urge older loved ones to seek help for sleep problems. Their doctor may refer them to a specialist for a sleep study, which might include a portable sleep monitor at home, or could take place in a sleep laboratory.

Here are some common conditions sleep specialists address:

Insomnia. Older adults with insomnia might have trouble falling asleep. Or, they might drift off, only to wake up a few hours later, or wake many times during the night, then feel sleepy during the day. Sleep specialists might recommend lifestyle changes, such as getting more exercise, avoiding caffeine, and improving the sleep environment. Treating anxiety can help. Medications might be prescribed, though this is the last choice.

Sleep apnoea. This condition causes a sleeper to stop breathing for short periods—from a few seconds to even minutes, often repeatedly throughout the night. Sleep apnea may be accompanied by loud snoring, but not always. It can cause a dangerous drop in a person’s oxygen level and can disrupt sleep all night, raising the risk of high blood pressure, stroke and memory loss. The sleep specialist might prescribe a constant positive airway pressure (CPAP) breathing device, or a mouthpiece that adjusts the jaw position. Sometimes surgery is recommended.

Sleep-related movement disorders. We all shift position occasionally during the night. But abnormal movements at night can disturb sleep considerably. These include restless legs syndrome, in which a sleeper experiences unpleasant sensations in the limbs resulting in the urge to shift position frequently. Periodic limb movement disorder creates repetitive movements in the limbs for long periods of time. People with sleep-related bruxism clench their jaws and grind their teeth while asleep. Treatments might include lifestyle changes, addressing underlying health conditions, or medication.

Dementia-related sleep problems. “The brain changes of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders can disrupt a senior’s sleep patterns,” says Giampa. “Some people with dementia may sleep too much, while others have trouble sleeping much at all. The disease disrupts the body’s natural 24-hour sleep and wake cycle, leaving a person’s sense of day and night reversed and fragmented.” Giampa says dementia care experts can offer suggestions to improve sleep, such as changing the person’s night-time routine, diagnosing a urinary tract infection, or considering medication side effects.

Daytime napping. “It’s a bit of a stereotype that older adults take a lot of naps,” says Giampa. “Plenty of people of every age take naps, and in some cultures, it’s considered a usual activity of the day. Napping can be beneficial, but also can interfere with sleep at night, so it is something else people with sleep problems should discuss with the doctor.”

Second-hand sleep problems

When a person has a sleep disorder, this can affect their sleep partner or others in the home. “A snoring spouse is the classic example,” says Giampa. “Earplugs or sleeping in a different room can help. The sleep of family caregivers also can be regularly disrupted if they need to get up at night to help their loved one to the bathroom.”

People with dementia may exhibit “sundown syndrome,” when in the late afternoon and early evening, just as the caregiver is most tired, their loved one becomes restless, agitated and very much awake. The person may resist going to bed, refuse to stay in bed, and get up again and again in the night, leaving the caregiver exhausted the next day. Studies show that sleep problems are the No. 1 factor when families decide a person with dementia should no longer live at home, but in a care setting.

Home care can help.

Professional in-home care services promote good sleep and all-around health for older adults who live at home. Trained caregivers can provide supervision while family caregivers sleep. Professional caregivers help clients manage medical appointments and medications, get enough exercise, and eat well. They provide mental stimulation during the day that helps clients wind down for the evening. They ensure that the home is safe for clients who get up at night.

“If a loved one has dementia, it’s important to hire from an agency that trains its caregivers on memory care issues,” says Giampa.“But no matter what the cause of sleep problems, professional caregivers provide peace of mind—and that might be the best ‘sleep medication’ there is!”

https://www.yonkerstribune.com/2021/05/addressing-later-life-sleep-problems