Why Mom Might Not Be Sleeping Well at Assisted Living

March 30, 2016 by ·

Assisted Living in Daphne AL

There are plenty of reasons why people don’t get the appropriate amount of sleep. It could have to do with prescription medications, health issues, or commonly, caffeine.Assisted-Living-in-Daphne-AL

How caffeine affects the body.

Caffeine is a powerful stimulant and it can take up to eight hours, and in some cases even longer, to completely leave the body. It stimulates electrochemical activity in the brain, making it difficult for the person who consumed caffeine to settle down and fall asleep.

Even decaffeinated coffee and tea contains some level of caffeine in it, though at much lower levels than regular coffee or tea.

If your mother has had a tendency to drink coffee throughout the day, then this very well might be why she’s not sleeping well in her new environment. If this wasn’t her tendency, she may have begun the habit as a way to help settle her nerves, especially during the evening when she has to go down to the restaurant area for dinner.

Some people have a difficult time making new friends, carrying on a conversation, or just being in an unfamiliar environment. As a result, they may turn to certain foods or drinks through which they find comfort to help them settle down.

Ask your mother how she’s sleeping at night. She may try to deflect and hide any potential problems because she doesn’t want you to worry or assume things are not very ideal. Let her know you have detected some issues with her personal appearance that give you the idea she’s not sleeping properly.

Dig a little deeper and find out if she’s drinking coffee or tea in the afternoon or evening hours. She may not be aware of how much it’s affecting her. If she admits to it, convince her to give up drinking coffee or tea during the afternoon and evening hours for a couple of weeks. She might just notice an improvement.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Assisted Living near Daphne, AL, contact Ashbury Manor Specialty Care and Assisted Living at 251-317-3017.

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About Cindy Johnson

Ashbury Manor’s Administrator since 2008, Cindy Johnson is a long-time expert in the assisted living field. Prior to her arrival at Ashbury Manor, Cindy managed acquisitions and crisis management for existing and new larger senior care project developments for eleven years. As regional manager for an Oregon-based assisted living management company, Cindy was directly responsible for operations for five 50-65 bed assisted living facilities. As manager during the transition to new ownership, Cindy reorganized internal operations and conducted leadership training for Executive Directors. As a result of her management and expertise, one of the company’s facilities (in Ocala, Florida) received a deficiency-free survey, resulting in the lifting of a moratorium on operation.

A nurse for 36 years, senior care has always been Cindy’s passion. Desiring to work more closely with residents, Cindy became a Category II Administrator in 2005. As Ashbury Manor’s Administrator, Cindy understands the complexities associated with dementia and cognitive impairment and she has fallen in love with seniors with dementia or cognitive impairment and their families.

Cindy is Treasurer of the local “Senior Coalition” chapter. She enjoys mentoring new candidates who want to become administrators.

As a 16-bed facility, with Cindy's training and experience, our residents and their families can be sure Ashbury Manor’s carefully selected staff provides the expertise of a larger facility while maintaining the individualized personal care of a small special needs home.
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