Is anyone else dealing with lack of sleep?
We have been caring for my grandmother for years but she had a fall around Halloween and ended up in Rehab. She had fractured her neck in 3 places and fractured her pelvic bone so at first was unable to walk. Right before Thanksgiving, rehab gave us a present they said and sent her home in time for the holidays. They sent her home a pain addict (was on around the clock oxycodone for 7 weeks and even a double dose during the nights and if she complained. She's a diabetic which made her sugar levels out of control as pain meds do and if she even said she had a headache, they'd dope her up with more pain meds to help ease the pain or so they said) and she was dealing with sugar levels that had been left at 300 plus for that time (they said she responded better at 300 than 50 so they decided instead of risking her bottoming out and no one finding her, they just kept her at 300-500 sugar levels to make it easier on them and safer on her). Now she is on around the clock care. She can't get up without assistance although she can walk once placed on her feet. She has dementia which has gotten 90% worse since rehab to the point of where she must recognize us because she smiles but doesn't seem to have names or any idea of really who we are. She can't use the bathroom by herself anymore because she needs help on and off the bathroom and needs us to wipe her (which my mom is really having a hard time doing) so we are really on serious around the clock care.
Since she has been home, we got her off pain killers slowly and are still dealing with her moaning at times insisting she wants more than an extra-strength Tylenol for a headache which she gets because she's not sleeping. This leads me up to my plea.
She's not sleeping at night at all some nights and others 2 hours. I understand elderly people need less sleep but during the day she will sleep no issues. She has no problem dosing off with TV on during the day but as soon as night time hits, she's wide awake. We have tried keeping her awake all day to make her tired for the night but instead all that does is result in her literally moaning, groaning, whimpering, and complaining about headaches and repeating, "Help me. Help me Lord." So we have been letting her take her 2 hour snoozes until 3 then keeping her up from 3 pm until 11 pm when she's so tired her eyes are drooping. But still she doesn't sleep. Is this normal? Does anyone have any ideas on what to do to help her sleep? We are living on empty here. My mom and I are taking shifts but honestly, it makes us cranky to not have any sleep.
We blamed it on the UTI she had but she's better from that now. We blamed it on being addicted to pain killers but it's been two weeks since she last took one and still it's happening. We thought it was due to pain but she doesn't really complain much about pain aside from the headaches caused by not sleeping and the occasional aching of the neck which is helped with heat.
My mom would like to go back to work part time and I am already working and it's impossible to do this and still manage to stay awake during the day.
Is there anyone else dealing with lack of sleep and do you guys have any suggestions to help us help her to sleep?
I hope you all got some rest last night. I've always heard that healing occurs while you are asleep. Don't know if that's based on fact. I find I sleep better sitting in the recliner. I breathe better and my hips don't hurt so bad. My own mother sleeps every night in her recliner. Glad you are getting some paid help, it really is hard to do it all ourselves.
We took txcamper's advice tonight and are trying the recliner. We even took it one step further and have her sleeping in the living room where the tv can be on. So far so good she's not sleeping but at least quietly resting. In the hospital bed in her room, she complained that she hated the room it was in and would complain wanting to go back to her 'old bed' which is the one we were hoping to take turns sleeping in. We are hoping this chair idea works out as well as it should.
We are setting up caregivers to help during the day. The state is stepping in to pay some on these caregivers but it will hopefully give me the peace of mind and time to continue working at least part time. Mom is hoping to go back to work part time as well so we will just split up the shifts according.
Let's hope for a better night tonight.
I've had sleep probs for many years now. It's not fun. Trust me, she is not doing this on purpose to torture you.
Ask a professional, but if her sugar levels are around 300 or so, ,it's likely she needs insulin even if that is not her normal thing.
I hate to say this, but it's also possible she is sensing your stress on top of her own, which may also cause higher sugar levels.
My heart goes out to you, your family, and to her. I wish I could fix this. Sadly, it seems it's going to take a lot more doing. She may do better in a new home/community. I don't like what they did to either you nor she. Something is wrong there. At least look into it.
I have the opposite problem. MIL sleeps all the time. I have to drag her out of bed as she really doesn't want to get up and it puts her in a bad mood. Getting up and dressed is just more work than she wants to deal with I think. I ask her if she'd like to just wear her housecoat over her nightgown, but that is unacceptable to her. She can and does get up to go into her bathroom, but then she hightails it back to bed. This is a BIG change from when she used to get up at 3 a.m., get dressed and think it was time to start the day. I love her so much, though.