Articles Posted in Senior Living

While sleep is essential for mental and physical health, aging presents some sleep challenges. About half of all seniors report a sleep problem such as taking longer to fall asleep, shorter sleep, waking up often and napping more and longer. As we age, our body clock deteriorates and melatonin (a sleep inducing chemical) levels decline. To increase the amount and quality of sleep, the three main factors are (1) routine, (2) sleeping environment, and (3) diet and exercise.

Routine: A consistent evening routine works best for sleeping. Going to bed at the same time and “winding down” makes a considerable difference. Avoid uses of electronic devices such as smartphones and television as they emit “blue light” which inhibits melatonin production and can upset body rhythms. Blue light blocking lenses may avoid this problem.

Sleeping Environment: Cooling down the bedroom can lead to better sleep. If the thermostat is out of your control, a fan will help. Light should be just enough to allow you not to trip and fall should you need to get out of bed. Darkness options are blackout blinds or curtains and covering any electronics that emit light. An eye mask can work wonders too. Outside noises or partners who snore can disturb sleep. Consider “white noise” machines or spa-like recordings to help you sleep. Like the eye mask for light, consider ear plugs for noise. While a firm, comfortable mattress and quality pillows with breathable fabrics are essential, there are other high-tech options that may assist, such as mattress and pillows that adjust their temperature as yours changes. Many people report a weighted blanket works wonders.

About a year ago, your writer found that he was having trouble doing the yard work and carrying the trash to the curb. I was getting weaker with age and realized that this trend was only going to go in one direction. So I decided to reverse the decline with strength training. Putting in just three hours a week, I am now stronger than I was thirty years ago.

The British Journal of Sports Medicine reports that just thirty to sixty minutes a week of strength or “resistance” training leads to a ten to twenty percent decrease in heart disease, cancer and mortality. It also increases cognitive function and decreases anxiety and depression. Better yet, you can carry in the groceries or climb the stairs without getting exhausted!

Strength training doesn’t mean you have to go to the gym and start lifting heavy weights. Just doing push-ups, planks, squats, walking up stairs, etc. are all forms of resistance training. You don’t even have to change your clothing, so long as you have enough room to move.

In his book, subtitled “Lessons From a Year Among the Oldest Old”, journalist John Leland takes us on a journey into uncharted territory. Mr. Leland spent a year with six elderly New Yorkers, exploring their lives.

He divides the book into the first six chapters chronicling the years spent with each of the six — John, 97, living in the same Manhattan apartment for forty-six years, the last six of them alone after the death of his partner; Fred, 87, a World War II vet and retired civil servant living in a three-story walk up; Helen, 90, living in The Hebrew Home in the Bronx, dating Howie, living down the hall; Ping, 89, providing an Asian perspective, living in a rent-controlled apartment with a Medicaid paid home attendant for seven hours a day; Ruth, a feisty 90, in assisted living in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn and, finally, Jonas, 92, an active filmmaker and writer.

Along with the author, we live the lives of these six people from getting up in the morning to going to bed at night. “How did they get through the day, and what were their hopes for the morrow?  How did they manage their medications, their children, and their changing bodies…”  Further, says Mr. Leland “All had lost something: mobility, vision, spouses, children, peers, memory but few had lost everything.”  What the author found was that the “oldest old” are not a different species, as so many people see them, but rather much the same as you and me — getting up each morning with wants and needs and doing the best they can with what they have.  Nevertheless, older people report a greater sense of well-being and fewer negative emotions than younger people.  “Experience helps older people moderate their expectations and makes them more resilient when things don’t go as hoped.” We learn the many ways his six seniors chose to be happy.