Everybody is tired from time to time. However, after a good night of sleep, if your elderly loved one doesn’t feel rested, they may be fatigued. There are many things that can cause fatigue. The more you learn about this issue, the more you and home care providers can help your elderly loved one to overcome fatigue and improve their quality of life.
Top Causes of Fatigue
There are many things that may be causing your elderly loved one to become fatigued such as:
- Taking certain medications such as those for pain relief, nausea relief, antihistamines, and antidepressants
- Getting certain medical treatments such as surgery or chemotherapy
- Getting an infection
- Untreated pain
- Sleep apnea
- Anemia
- Chronic diseases such as kidney disease, heart disease, COPD, thyroid disease, and diabetes
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Feeling a loss of control
- Stress
- Grief
- Staying up later at night
- Drinking a lot of caffeine, especially later in the day
- Consuming alcohol, especially while taking medications
- Eating a lot of unhealthy food
- Not exercising enough or exercising too much
- Boredom
As you can tell, there are numerous reasons why your elderly loved one may be feeling tired. However, now that you know about these causes, you or a home care provider can work with your elderly loved one to find the source of their fatigue. Then, you can work with them on overcoming it.
Tips for Feeling Less Tired
If your elderly loved one really wants to overcome their fatigue, so they can stop feeling so tired, there are many tips that can help with this. Some of these tips include:
- Have a fatigue/sleep diary to recognize patterns
- Regular exercise
- Don’t take long naps (keep them to 30 minutes or less each time)
- Don’t take naps too late in the day
- Quit smoking and consuming alcohol
- Have all health conditions properly managed by a doctor
- Ask for help if things become too much (actually, before they become too much)
- Try regular stress relief tips and techniques such as yoga
These are some of the many ways that your elderly loved one can deal with fatigue. Now that you are familiar with these tips, you can start sharing them with your loved one today. Hopefully, it won’t take much time for your elderly loved one to start feeling more energetic, less tired, and have a better quality of life overall.
When to See a Doctor for Feelings of Fatigue
Sure, your elderly loved one can try the tips above to overcome their fatigue, but what if nothing seems to work or make them feel more energetic? What if fatigue continues to interfere with their appetite, daily activities, sleep, exercise, and other aspects of their life? If this is the case, it would be a good idea for your elderly loved one to see a doctor for their fatigue. Hopefully, the doctor can find the primary cause of your elderly loved one’s fatigue, so they can get treatment and start feeling better.
Sources
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/fatigue-older-adults
If you are considering home care in Pavilion, MI, for an aging loved one, please call the caring staff at Fresh Perspective Home Care at (269) 329-4717. We are here to help!
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