Earlier times of poor sleep and their impact on sleep now

Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Age, ageing and changes in sleep >> Age, ageing and changes in sleep

Age, ageing and changes in sleep

Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Retirement and current employment >> Retirement and current employment

Retirement and current employment

Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Worries >> Worries

Worries

Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Attitude to sleep >> Attitude to sleep

Attitude to sleep

Christopher is married with three children, and is a retired airline consultant. Christopher did retire at one point, but then was asked to return to work for a while, although he is now completely retired. He is now a volunteer at the local hospital. Christopher was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease a few years previously and also has severe back problems, but he still likes to keep fit and active and regularly visits the gym.

Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Men aged 65-74 >> Fred - Interview 20 >> Fred doesn’t have strong feelings about how important sleep is because he feels he has got used to not sleeping well, and can always have a nap in the

Fred often finds it difficult to get to sleep. He also finds that if he wakes up in the night he finds it takes a long time to get back to sleep. Sometimes he comes downstairs and has a cigarette in the back garden before trying to go back up and get to sleep. Fred noticed his sleep changed after he retired and feels this may be because he isn’t quite as active.

Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Men aged 65-74 >> Ron - Interview 24 >> Ron doesn’t feel sleep is quite so important now he is retired, and in fact sees it as a way of passing the time.

Ron is a retired Chairman/Managing Director. Ron has a number of health problems, some of which interfere with his sleep, but he tries to keep fit and goes to the local sports centre on a regular basis. He recently visited his doctor about his sleep because he was often waking at 3 am in the morning and was unable to get back to sleep after that.

Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Women aged 65-74 >> Valerie - Interview 11 >> Val slept very badly when she was running a care company because of the worry and concerns for the people under her care, and this pattern of sleep co

Valerie often wakes up in the night and can’t get back to sleep. This means she will be very tired by the early evening, but will try not to go to bed too early because she doesn’t want to waste the evening.

Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Women aged 65-74 >> Carol - Interview 18 >> Carol has noticed she wakes up more in the night now she is older, and sometimes gets up to have tea and toast.

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 65-74 >> Fred - Interview 20 >> Fred believes he sleeps less well now because he is much less active since he retired.

Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Men aged 65-74 >> Mike - Interview 12 >> Mike goes to bed earlier when he is working the next day because now he is older he finds he really needs to get enough sleep the day before.

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 >> Sue B - Interview 03 >> Sue B. enjoys the fact that she doesn’t have to set the alarm to get up for work and can now wake up naturally.

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 65-74 >> Fred - Interview 20 >> Fred enjoyed not having to get up straight away and rush around getting ready for work.

Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Men aged 65-74 >> Fred - Interview 20 >> Fred doesn’t worry about being awake for some time in the night because he doesn’t have to get up to go to work the next day.

Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Women aged 65-74 >> Jacqui - Interview 35 >> Jacqui finds that she gets more tired when she works now than she used to when she was younger.

Jacqui lives with her partner and works part-time as a care worker. She slept well as a child, but noticed a dramatic change in her sleep when she became a stewardess, and when she got married. She believes the different shifts she worked and jet lag caused a change in her sleeping pattern. Eventually she went to the doctor for some mild sleeping tablets, which she took occasionally over the years. Currently Jacqui is sleeping much better and has not taken any sleeping tablets for a few years.

Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Men aged 75+ >> Roy - Interview 13 >> Roy has noticed a gradual decline in his sleep since he retired and puts it down to having more worries now he is not working.

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.

Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Men aged 65-74 >> Ronald - Interview 01 >> Ronald retired early because of health problems, and noticed a change in his sleep then because of a change in his daily routine.

Ronald finds he usually gets about 6 ½ to 7 hours sleep a night, but this is disturbed by having to get up and go to the toilet. Although he usually drops off to sleep straight away, occasionally he finds he can’t get to sleep, or wakes up in the night and can’t get back to sleep, so on these occasions he tries counting sheep, but this doesn’t always work. Ronald noticed a change in his sleep pattern when he took early retirement because of health problems, and the change in his daily routine.

Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Men aged 65-74 >> Ronald - Interview 01 >> Ronald thinks his sleep has changed since retirement for several reasons, including changes in his routines and poorer health.

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