Follow
Share
This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Is this unusual for her? How long has she been doing it?
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

Panaman, I see from your profile that your Mom is in her late 80's. It is not unusual for older folks to sleep more than someone who is 20+ years younger. Older people are tired, they had a very long life. And especially with your Mom having dementia [as per your profile] that adds another layer.

I am in my 70's and I find myself dozing off in the middle of the day, something I would never think of doing years earlier. Our bodies are slowing down :P
Helpful Answer (0)
Report
needtowashhair Apr 2019
Actually, the older you are the less you sleep. That trend line continues until you die.

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/press-release/national-sleep-foundation-recommends-new-sleep-times

Some older people nod off during the day not because they need more sleep, but because getting enough sleep is hard for some older people. Instead of sleeping a solid 8 hours a night, they might on get 4. They don't sleep as deeply. Thus they are sleep deprived and nod off during the day.

Much of the problem is that we've been trained to sleep unnaturally in the west. People aren't meant to sleep 8 hours in a single block at night. We introduced that since it compacts that sleep cycle leaving more time to work. For much of human history, we were the prey and not the predators. Hence someone had to be up on guard duty. Thus the natural nighttime sleep cycle is 4 hours sleep, 2 hours awake and then another 4 hours of sleep.

Similarly you know that fight to stay away after lunch. It's nap time. That's natural as well. We do it in kindergarten because it's so natural. But as we get older, nap time gets in the way of work so we've been taught to fight it. Other than in Spain in the west where they still respect nap time. In China they respect nap time as well. If you hit a Chinese factory after lunch, instead of hearing the din of machinery you hear the snores of all the workers. Nap time is built into the work schedule.
(1)
Report
If she sleeps all day and then is up all night keeping you up too, then that’s a problem. You might need to find some way to keep her occupied and up during the day. I can say that when I used to visit my mom in the nursing home, about 80% of the people were asleep when I got there and still asleep when I left. It’s boredom, medications, and just plain being worn out.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Ask a Question
Subscribe to
Our Newsletter