I'm gonna share my thoughts on the subject based on my experiences of looking after dad and mom. They might not have sound medical logic nor am I suggesting similar experiences for everybody, under the circumstances, but I'm sure that what I'm gonna say could be added as additional information!
As is common knowledge, sleep becomes a casualty in most people during old age. While I shan't dwell upon the causes, the restlessness that it causes to the individual besides denying sleep to the attendant can give rise to strained nerves and irritability. Doctors usually prescribe soporifics, depending on the graveness of the ailment and they can be either effective or devastating in their effects. Let me try to explain this dichotomy from my own experiences.
Dad was ailing from the Parkinson's Syndrome and at times, used to get violent and hurt himself in the bargain, especially when he did not quite agree with a particular idea - it could be trivia, that came up in the normal course of conversation. In his case, the soporific administered, every night, helped him to calm down and there was no problem, whatsoever, thereafter.
My mom's case has been totally different. She just doesn't get sleep at night while having her snatches of sleep during the daytime. And there's no complaint of any violence. Her doctor had prescribed a soporific and on the first night of its administration, she was reduced to something like those dazed, helpless human beings coming out of rubble consequent to an aerial bombing! The affable doctor agreed to my request of withdrawing the medicine pronto, on my plea.
Many of my friends have suggested remedial measures and consequent discussions with a few pharmacists, have added a new dimension in this regard. Narcotic-laced drugs - with almost no after effects - are popularly used to tackle this vexed problem. But what everyone reiterates is that the prolonged use of such drugs chips away the vitality of the individual! And the flip side is that one can't blame the people who endorse the use of such drugs as their primary concern is that of the safety of the geriatric.
Home remedies have also been suggested to me and I shall touch upon just a couple of them:-
(a) Light massaging of the soles of the feet - with any oil - just prior to sleep. Its flip side is that the
individual can slip and fall, on an attempt to go round the corner when the urge beckons, in complete
forgetfulness about the oil that had been applied earlier!
(b) Giving a nice bath before being sent to bed. Easier said than done because, in most cases, there's a
general reluctance to bathe, especially, after sunset!
Tailpiece.
I've decided to keep my mom free of any soporifics or other methods. We try to keep her occupied during the daytime so that she avoids sleeping and conserves it for the night. And I pray that she doesn't hurt or fall during her nocturnal visits to the toilet at night. God, please keep a constant watch on her!
I'd never ever like her to lose her vitality, her effervescence which are her hallmarks!!
As is common knowledge, sleep becomes a casualty in most people during old age. While I shan't dwell upon the causes, the restlessness that it causes to the individual besides denying sleep to the attendant can give rise to strained nerves and irritability. Doctors usually prescribe soporifics, depending on the graveness of the ailment and they can be either effective or devastating in their effects. Let me try to explain this dichotomy from my own experiences.
Dad was ailing from the Parkinson's Syndrome and at times, used to get violent and hurt himself in the bargain, especially when he did not quite agree with a particular idea - it could be trivia, that came up in the normal course of conversation. In his case, the soporific administered, every night, helped him to calm down and there was no problem, whatsoever, thereafter.
My mom's case has been totally different. She just doesn't get sleep at night while having her snatches of sleep during the daytime. And there's no complaint of any violence. Her doctor had prescribed a soporific and on the first night of its administration, she was reduced to something like those dazed, helpless human beings coming out of rubble consequent to an aerial bombing! The affable doctor agreed to my request of withdrawing the medicine pronto, on my plea.
Many of my friends have suggested remedial measures and consequent discussions with a few pharmacists, have added a new dimension in this regard. Narcotic-laced drugs - with almost no after effects - are popularly used to tackle this vexed problem. But what everyone reiterates is that the prolonged use of such drugs chips away the vitality of the individual! And the flip side is that one can't blame the people who endorse the use of such drugs as their primary concern is that of the safety of the geriatric.
Home remedies have also been suggested to me and I shall touch upon just a couple of them:-
(a) Light massaging of the soles of the feet - with any oil - just prior to sleep. Its flip side is that the
individual can slip and fall, on an attempt to go round the corner when the urge beckons, in complete
forgetfulness about the oil that had been applied earlier!
(b) Giving a nice bath before being sent to bed. Easier said than done because, in most cases, there's a
general reluctance to bathe, especially, after sunset!
Tailpiece.
I've decided to keep my mom free of any soporifics or other methods. We try to keep her occupied during the daytime so that she avoids sleeping and conserves it for the night. And I pray that she doesn't hurt or fall during her nocturnal visits to the toilet at night. God, please keep a constant watch on her!
I'd never ever like her to lose her vitality, her effervescence which are her hallmarks!!
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