How much sleep does a 93-year-old woman need?

oh just think if ure 93 yrs old what would u like to be doing ?
my dad is 87 yrs old , sleeps all day and all evening and allnight . only time he cans tay awake is when we re going for a joy ride , stays awake long enuff to watch lawrence welk or hee haw , or if he s hungry .
infants sleeps alot then they get older and stay awake more and be a hand full till they grow into 40s or 50 s gotta have a nap then when they retired , nothing sounds good but sleep . then they become a infants stage and then they dont wake up anymore . its a cycle of life . sleep sleep till its time to sleep forever .

You know what? I am 73 yrs young and I sleep for 12 hrs every night and have been doing so since retiring. Sometimes I feel as tho that isn't enough even. You say he is under the care of a physician so let it be. Poor soul has earned the right to do whatever he wants......clsichasi

I also have a 93 year old mom who lives with me and I have to watch her most of the time. She is always falling asleep during the day, she goes to bed at 9:-00 pm and gets up most of the time at about 10:00 am. I just think that elderly people just sleep alot.

OK...I'm a little confused here. Just signed on here today, because I was surfing around the internet trying to find some statistics, information or guidance with regard to sleep patterns of the elderly...uh, BECAUSE I CARE DEEPLY FOR AND LOVE my mother-in-law. Wow. Thank you, lhardebeck for your "words of wisdom", input and your hug. On the other hand, "clsichasi"...uh...I don't know if you are taking to ME, or to lhardebeck...because you say "HE"...my Mother-in-Law is one of the sweetest, kindest and most precious people I have ever known. No one here has inferred that she hasn't earned the right to do anything. Yes, she has doctors...several, in fact. She has regular visits with them. But, they don't LIVE here and are not with her 24 hrs. a day. We are on top of all that goes on with her, are in touch with her doctors, go to all appointments; we keep her medications set up and know what she is taking and why she is taking it. She is well coiffed, nails done, dressed, enjoys delicious and beautiful meals that are prepared for her three times a day, enjoys a couple glasses of wine every evening...I could go on. She has a good life, and is treated like a QUEEN. No one deserves it more than she does. Her primary physician suggested (when she was diagnosed with Early Dementia about a year and a half ago) that we keep her on a schedule, so, like I said--bed at 10, up at 10. It has worked well. She loves to play crossword puzzles, (I make a copy and we play together), she loves certain shows on tv, she plays bridge once a week. Again, I won't go on. My point is, she's fun and is still full of life...but, mostly if you are sitting WITH her and keeping her entertained! :-) Yes, she is "under the care of physicians"...but, WE have the responsibility of taking care of her and doing what is best. I simply was trying to find out from someone...anyone... what the "norm" is, if there is one. I am not looking for criticism. Hey, I am 56, and I need my sleep, too! Take care, everyone. If you have any suggestions, or you've experienced this situation and can offer any help, please let me know. Otherwise, I'd really rather not have any negativity or criticism from anyone. Thanks, again, lhardebeck! :-)

Thank you, christina28, for your input. See...this is what I am looking for. I KNOW there are other people out there with same or similar situations!!! No, no problem with narcolepsy or low blood sugar. She is stimulated ALL DAY LONG. After lunch, she takes a 30 min. to l hr. nap. If you leave her room for five minutes, she drops off!!! She's even fallen asleep over her meal tray. Go figure! It is almost like having an infant, like lhardebeck said...and we r just fighting hard for her NOT to get her days and nights mixed up!!! We want what's best for HER...but we have to take care of ourselves, too (right?!) Like I said earlier...I guess we just don't want to "let her go!"...the more her dementia progresses and the more she's wanting to sleep, I feel like we are just watching her slip away. I've described it as kinda like playing "tug o' war"...she's slowly letting go of the rope, while we're trying to "hold her up!" Take care everyone!!! :-)

I don't think there is a "norm". My 93 yr old relative goes to bed about 10, and gets up anytime between 5:30 and 8, depending on when she feels like it. Sometimes she takes a nap in her chair in the afternoon. I knew a 97 yr old who was still active and involved who slept like anyone. I knew another 93 yr old who seemed to mostly sleep. I think it depends on the person and their overall health.

I realize this is an old post, but I'll put my two cents in here. First, the woman is 93!!! What difference does it make that she sleeps all the time? Is she missing some important appointments or something? My sisters and I care for our parents who are 90. They also sleep pretty much all the time. Mom can stay awake if we're taking her to the doctor, but then when she gets home she's pretty exhausted and will sleep sitting up for the rest of the day until we feed her or put her to bed. Dad sometimes falls asleep on the way to the doctor, in the doctor's office and then sleeps for about 24 hours after the outing, except for meals. It is perfectly normal for elderly people to sleep most of the time. Their bodies are wearing out. Their hearts can't take the activity without being a little stressed. Not enough for a heart attack, necessarily, but frankly, if you live long enough and nothing else kills you, you will probably die of congestive heart failure because your heart just wears out.

Now this does not mean that ALL elderly people sleep all the time. I don't want to get angry responses from people arguing that their mother/father/MIL/aunt/whoever is out dancing every night. Good for them! My 95-year-old aunt is still going strong too, but she does sleep more than she used to and tires more easily.

I remember when I was young I volunteered in a nursing home. I used to hate to walk the halls and see elderly people sound asleep in their wheelchairs all over the place. I thought it was a sign of neglect on the part of the staff. But then I started taking care of my folks and realized that something as simple as getting up and getting dressed and walking out to the family room will wear my dad out so much that he falls asleep immediately. I have to wake him up to feed him breakfast. Then he falls asleep again. I give him the morning paper to read and he falls asleep holding it. He gets up to use the bathroom, then goes back to his chair and falls asleep. When he had his physical a few months ago the doc said that he is very healthy for a man his age, and the sleep thing is perfectly normal.

So don't worry about your mom sleeping, and certainly don't give her stimulants to make her stop. Enjoy the quiet time, for heaven's sake!

Has she been checked for Narcolepsy, or low blood sugar?
My Mother's geriatric specialist said their biological clocks get turned around--want to stay up at night and sleep in the day-- but it sounds like your Mother sleeps day and night.
My Mother is 93. I wish she would take just a 10 minute nap during the day and not jump up every 5 SECONDS, so we could go to the bathroom, do the dishes, take a shower. If she did not take Seroquel at night, she would probably not sleep then either.
Have you tried "engaging" your Mother in conversation? Really stimulating her? Maybe she's bored? Play music, get a puppy to lick her face--anything to keep her alert! Good Luck!

No, my husband is 91, and he seems to sleep 20 out of 24 hours. He had a sleep study and doesn't have apnea. I am 76 and I do have it. So one never knows....

do you know if it is normal for an 88 year old with dementia and is also bipolor to sleep 10 to 15 hours a day. She has always been aloner and has no interests. Use to read and do needlework. Not anymore. Does not like tv,sitting outside. Take her out and wants to go home immediately. Has no patience. Just says I wish there is a pill to take so I could die. It is very depressing.