• Topic
• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Partners, companions and pets >> Partners, companions and pets

Partners, companions and pets

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Partners, companions and pets >> Partners, companions and pets

Partners, companions and pets

• Clip
• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Women aged 65-74 >> Juliet - Interview 07 >> Juliet, who has rheumatoid arthritis, sleeps in her own bedroom so that she doesn’t disturb her husband if she is awake in the night.

In addition to her formal career, Juliet has had a range of voluntary jobs such as Chairman of the Preschool Playgroup Association. Juliet was also employed as an Ofsted Lay School Inspector. Juliet is an avid silver surfer and thoroughly enjoys online shopping and writing emails. She has had rheumatoid arthritis for about 15 years and has also been diagnosed with diabetes, both of which interfere with her sleep.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Women aged 65-74 >> Mary - Interview 02 >> Mary’s dog sleeps on her bed and she is sometimes aware of him stirring and sighing in the night.

Mary often finds it very difficult to get to sleep, sometimes taking up to an hour to fall asleep. Mary finds that relaxation and meditation exercises help her to fall asleep, and help her get back to sleep if she wakes up in the night. Even if she has not had a good night Mary finds it impossible to take a nap during the day, although she may put her feet up in bed to have a rest instead. Mary hasn’t been to the doctor about her sleep, but has tried some over the counter remedies.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Women aged 65-74 >> Anne - Interview 14 >> Anne and her husband find they get too hot if they don’t sleep with a lightweight duvet, even in the winter.

Anne is a retired Education Adviser, but is still working part-time writing a book. Anne likes to play golf at least once a week, but has recently had some injuries which have prevented this. She also likes to keep active by walking. Anne finds she now wakes up early in the morning and would very much like to be able to sleep in for longer.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Bedroom and environment for sleep >> Bedroom and environment for sleep

Bedroom and environment for sleep

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Partners, companions and pets >> Partners, companions and pets

Partners, companions and pets

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Bedroom and environment for sleep >> Bedroom and environment for sleep

Bedroom and environment for sleep

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Women aged 65-74 >> Anne - Interview 14 >> Anne and her husband find they get too hot if they don’t sleep with a lightweight duvet, even in the winter.

Anne is a retired Education Adviser, but is still working part-time writing a book. Anne likes to play golf at least once a week, but has recently had some injuries which have prevented this. She also likes to keep active by walking. Anne finds she now wakes up early in the morning and would very much like to be able to sleep in for longer.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Women aged 65-74 >> Margaret - Interview 32 >> Margaret often wakes up in the night and reads, sometimes two or three times a night.

Margaret is a retired Day Centre Manager and formerly a social worker. She spent long periods of her childhood in hospital where part of the routine was to put children outside in the fresh air. Margaret believes this still influences her now as she likes to wake up to daylight in her room. Margaret noticed her sleep started to worsen about 10-15 years ago, and used to worry about not having enough sleep, but has now found a way to cope and feels content with the amount of sleep she gets.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Women aged 65-74 >> Sue B - Interview 03 >> Sue B. takes all her paperwork up to her bedroom and spreads it out over her bed, even falling asleep with it surrounding her.

Sue B. lives on her own in a small, friendly village. She has 4 children and 7 grandchildren. She recently gave up her job as a provider of supplies to pre-school groups, but still works part-time making scarves which she sells through Craft Fairs. Sue B. is very active, often taking several walks a day, sometimes swimming and bicycling. She is also a retired Church Warden. Sleep is very important to Sue B., and she loves waking up after a very good night’s sleep.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Men aged 75+ >> Les - Interview 27 >> Les divided his bedroom into two, one area just for sleeping, and the other with his computer and music equipment for entertainment.

Les has had several very interesting and different jobs in his lifetime, ranging from being in the army, to being a theatre manager, working in the Sudan, and being a driver. He only retired finally when he was 80. Les has several health problems which contribute to making his sleep very disturbed, but he won’t let his poor sleep affect what he does during the day.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Women aged 65-74 >> Mary - Interview 05 >> Mary sometimes falls asleep watching the television, or listening to the radio, and would be woken up by the noise.

Mary is a retired Secretary and travel organiser. She lives on her own, but has a daughter and grandchildren living nearby. Mary likes to keep very active during the day and helps with looking after the grandchildren. She also attends Keep Fit and Tai Chi and likes to sew and do crafts. Mary believes sleep is very important and would like to have more sleep, but also feels that she doesn’t want to waste time sleeping as there are so many things she enjoys doing.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Women aged 65-74 >> Juliet - Interview 07 >> The pain from Juliet’s rheumatoid arthritis sometimes wakes her up in the night and she occupies herself by listening to music, going on the computer

In addition to her formal career, Juliet has had a range of voluntary jobs such as Chairman of the Preschool Playgroup Association. Juliet was also employed as an Ofsted Lay School Inspector. Juliet is an avid silver surfer and thoroughly enjoys online shopping and writing emails. She has had rheumatoid arthritis for about 15 years and has also been diagnosed with diabetes, both of which interfere with her sleep.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Women aged 65-74 >> Carol - Interview 18 >> Carol has heard somewhere that she shouldn’t have a television in her room, but she enjoys it as it is company and entertainment for her.

Carol has noticed her sleep has changed as she has got older. In particular she now finds she has to get up to go to the toilet in the night, sometimes as often as six times, which she finds very disturbing. Now Carol is retired, she finds her days vary from being very full and busy to having little planned, and she wonders whether she doesn’t sleep so well on the days when she has been less active.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Men aged 75+ >> P. - Interview 16 >> P. always sets his radio alarm for 7 am because he thinks it is wrong to stay in bed too long, but he may doze on and off for a while listening to the

P. has been retired for 35 years but still continues to undertake research and has published more than 30 papers since his retirement. He likes to try and be active as much as he can during the day and doesn’t like to doze off in the evening because he feels that is a waste of time. He does sometimes have difficulty getting off to sleep, but finds that reading a book often helps with this.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Men aged 75+ >> William - Interview 38 >> William relies on his alarm to get him up in the morning for his early swim, but would otherwise probably sleep until about 8 am.

William lives with his partner and has been retired for about 14 years. He likes to keep active by swimming four days a week and going to a gym class one day a week. He also attends art classes and is a member of a local literature club. William has noticed a change in his sleep over the last couple of years in that he finds he is having very vivid and sometimes difficult dreams. He notices he also has to get up now in the night because of cramp or to go to the toilet, which he never used to do.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Women aged 65-74 >> Anne - Interview 14 >> Anne and her husband never set their alarms, no matter what time they need to get up because they know they will always wake up in time.

Anne is a retired Education Adviser, but is still working part-time writing a book. Anne likes to play golf at least once a week, but has recently had some injuries which have prevented this. She also likes to keep active by walking. Anne finds she now wakes up early in the morning and would very much like to be able to sleep in for longer.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Women aged 65-74 >> Mary - Interview 02 >> Mary and her husband sleep better when they don’t share a bedroom, although they still do occasionally share the bed when their dog isn’t in the room.

Mary often finds it very difficult to get to sleep, sometimes taking up to an hour to fall asleep. Mary finds that relaxation and meditation exercises help her to fall asleep, and help her get back to sleep if she wakes up in the night. Even if she has not had a good night Mary finds it impossible to take a nap during the day, although she may put her feet up in bed to have a rest instead. Mary hasn’t been to the doctor about her sleep, but has tried some over the counter remedies.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Men aged 65-74 >> Frank - Interview 30 >> Frank’s wife slept in a different room because his snoring kept her awake.

Frank retired as a Practice Manager in his 70th year. He likes to keep very active and has had a keen interest in playing bowls for many years. At the time of his interview, Frank felt he was sleeping well, but there have been occasions in his life when he has had some problems sleeping. He is very easy going and tries not to let things worry him too much, but does know that if he has some worries it may affect his sleep.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Women aged 65-74 >> Sue B - Interview 03 >> Sue B. compares her sleeping habits with well known people.

Sue B. lives on her own in a small, friendly village. She has 4 children and 7 grandchildren. She recently gave up her job as a provider of supplies to pre-school groups, but still works part-time making scarves which she sells through Craft Fairs. Sue B. is very active, often taking several walks a day, sometimes swimming and bicycling. She is also a retired Church Warden. Sleep is very important to Sue B., and she loves waking up after a very good night’s sleep.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Making sense of poor sleep >> Making sense of poor sleep

Making sense of poor sleep

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Making sense of poor sleep >> Making sense of poor sleep

Making sense of poor sleep

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Describing current sleep >> Describing current sleep

Describing current sleep

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Women aged 65-74 >> Margaret - Interview 32 >> Margaret bases her idea of a perfect night’s sleep on going to bed at 10 pm and getting up at 7 am, even though she has never had nine hours sleep.

Margaret is a retired Day Centre Manager and formerly a social worker. She spent long periods of her childhood in hospital where part of the routine was to put children outside in the fresh air. Margaret believes this still influences her now as she likes to wake up to daylight in her room. Margaret noticed her sleep started to worsen about 10-15 years ago, and used to worry about not having enough sleep, but has now found a way to cope and feels content with the amount of sleep she gets.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Men aged 65-74 >> Mike - Interview 12 >> Mike varies his bedtime and wake up time according to whether he is working the next day, but may not go to bed earlier if he is watching something in

Mike works part-time as a test centre administrator. He has noticed a change in his sleep as he has got older, noticeably that he has periods of deeper sleep, but he doesn’t believe he sleeps any longer than he used to. Mike noticed his sleep changed when he first had children, and finds that pattern has continued.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Women aged 65-74 >> Margaret - Interview 32 >> Margaret spent several years in hospital and still remembers the rules and disciplines surrounding sleep and bedtimes.

Margaret is a retired Day Centre Manager and formerly a social worker. She spent long periods of her childhood in hospital where part of the routine was to put children outside in the fresh air. Margaret believes this still influences her now as she likes to wake up to daylight in her room. Margaret noticed her sleep started to worsen about 10-15 years ago, and used to worry about not having enough sleep, but has now found a way to cope and feels content with the amount of sleep she gets.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Men aged 65-74 >> John - Interview 15 >> John was told by his doctor to expect his sleep to worsen as he got older, but not to worry unless it got really bad.

John feels that a good night’s sleep for him would be about 7 hours, and the amount of sleep he gets is important to him, even if it is interrupted. Currently John feels he only gets about 5 ½ to 6 hours sleep and would like to get more, but would not seek help from his doctor until he felt lack of sleep impacted on whether he could drive safely. John tries to avoid sleeping during the day because he feels it will impact on how well he sleeps at night.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Bedroom and environment for sleep >> Bedroom and environment for sleep

Bedroom and environment for sleep

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Women aged 65-74 >> Sue B - Interview 03 >> Sue B. takes all her paperwork up to her bedroom and spreads it out over her bed, even falling asleep with it surrounding her.

Sue B. lives on her own in a small, friendly village. She has 4 children and 7 grandchildren. She recently gave up her job as a provider of supplies to pre-school groups, but still works part-time making scarves which she sells through Craft Fairs. Sue B. is very active, often taking several walks a day, sometimes swimming and bicycling. She is also a retired Church Warden. Sleep is very important to Sue B., and she loves waking up after a very good night’s sleep.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Sleeping elsewhere >> Sleeping elsewhere

Sleeping elsewhere

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Men aged 75+ >> Daniel - Interview 28 >> Daniel and his wife always sleep badly when they go away, and now take a sleeping tablet on the first night to help them.

Daniel is a retired social worker, having spent a large part of his working life with children and teenagers. He was diagnosed with sleep apnoea when his snoring at night was making him feel very drowsy during the day. His sleep is quite broken at night, and he often finds he dozes off during the day.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Women aged 65-74 >> Juliet - Interview 07 >> Juliet has a special bed to help with her Rheumatoid Arthritis and tends to have very short, infrequent holidays because of the stress of organising e

In addition to her formal career, Juliet has had a range of voluntary jobs such as Chairman of the Preschool Playgroup Association. Juliet was also employed as an Ofsted Lay School Inspector. Juliet is an avid silver surfer and thoroughly enjoys online shopping and writing emails. She has had rheumatoid arthritis for about 15 years and has also been diagnosed with diabetes, both of which interfere with her sleep.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Sleeping elsewhere >> Sleeping elsewhere

Sleeping elsewhere

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Advice to others about getting a good night's sleep >> Advice to others about getting a good night's sleep

Advice to others about getting a good night's sleep

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Men aged 75+ >> Roy - Interview 13 >> Roy suggests it is important to have a regular routine for going to bed and getting up.

Roy has been retired for some time, but is an active member of the local U3A group (University of the Third Age) and likes to take long walks. He frequently visits his older brother who lives nearby. Roy has had trouble sleeping for many years, but has now found a routine for getting to sleep that he feels works well for him.