Homecare in Cherry Hill NJ: Can Your Senior Sleep Well Even if She Has COPD?
It is not uncommon at all for elderly suffering from COPD to have trouble sleeping. There’s the fact that breathing can be difficult, of course, but there are other factors as well. Finding the right combination of solutions for your senior might involve trying some of these ideas.
Exercise Helps
Your senior’s doctor is likely to recommend at least a little bit of exercise for your elderly family member. Exercises like yoga or tai chi get your elderly family member moving while simultaneously helping her to learn breathing techniques that can be extremely helpful. Pulmonary rehabilitation may be another way to help your senior to get back to exercising in a way that is safe for her.
Naps During the Day Can Backfire
For elderly suffering from COPD, sometimes a nap is just what she needs in order to revive herself a bit after a night of poor sleep. But naps during the day that are too long or too frequent can backfire on her. That’s not a situation that you want to encourage. Limiting naps may be the answer, even if it doesn’t feel like it at the time.
Talk to Her Doctor
Make sure that you talk with your senior’s doctor specifically about her sleep issues. This is something that may be easy to address with a change in medication, timing of medication, or some other solution. For instance, some people with COPD sleep better with oxygen therapy at night or before bed. Although this may feel like a step backward, getting better sleep is worth it.
Conserve Energy for the Right Activities
If your elderly family member is expending all of her energy on daily activities that she doesn’t really need to handle herself, she may not have the energy that she needs to be able to eat right, exercise, or do any of the other things that are good for her. Hiring home care providers can give her the time and energy that she needs to put her focus back on herself. They can take over housekeeping, cooking, and other tasks and your senior can put that energy where it really needs to be.
There might be a formula that works better for your elderly family member when it comes to sleep. Time and a little bit of trial and error may be what you and your senior need in order to find the right combination for her. Don’t give up if she’s not seeing results immediately. Sometimes changes take time to reap rewards.
For homecare in Cherry Hill, NJ, and the surrounding areas, call and talk to us at Home to Stay Healthcare Solutions (856) 321-1500.
