Signs of approaching death in an elderly person. Dying (bedridden) patient: signs before death Drowsiness in old age causes treatment

What does it mean if an elderly person sleeps a lot? It’s quite difficult to answer unequivocally. On the one hand, there is nothing wrong with grandparents taking a nap during the day. However, excessive sleepiness that does not provide the desired relief indicates serious health problems. Therefore, it is so important to promptly identify violations and eliminate them.

Physiologists have found that the normal duration of night sleep in older people should be from seven to nine hours. If an elderly person begins to sleep for a long time and spends more than ten hours at rest, then this signals the beginning of pathological changes in the body.

Aging in itself is not a disease. This is a natural physiological process accompanied by hormonal fluctuations that affect the quality of night's rest.

In order for older people to sleep well, they need to create the proper conditions:

• ventilate the room;
• monitor the cleanliness of bed linen;
• maintain air humidity and temperature within normal limits.

Why do older people sleep a lot?

Long daytime sleep (more than one hour) and late morning awakening, which is observed periodically in old people, are most likely provoked by overwork. If this phenomenon occurs constantly, then you should be concerned.

The following causes of drowsiness and lethargy in older people during the daytime are identified:

• chronic fatigue;
• abuse of sleeping pills and sedatives or alcoholic beverages;
• exposure to stress;
• decreased blood pressure;
• depression and psycho-emotional stress;
• poor circulation in the brain, causing oxygen starvation;
• hormonal fluctuations;
• the presence of tumors and hematomas affecting areas of the brain responsible for the resting state;
• taking certain medications on a regular basis.

Meteor dependence can also provoke drowsiness. The desire to sleep appears in rainy weather.

Signs of hypersomnia

It's not just old people who suffer from hypersomnia. This disease often develops at an earlier age. Depending on the form of the pathology and the reasons that led to its occurrence, the disease can manifest itself as follows:

• night sleep is more than ten hours;
• increased sleepiness during the day;
• after waking up, it takes a long time to get into work mode;
• muscle tone in the morning is significantly reduced;
• the appearance of hallucinations.

A person who dozes during the day often does not even suspect the development of hypersomnia, believing that as much time as the body needs to rest, so much time is allocated for sleep. In fact, such symptoms, which appear systematically, signal serious health problems.

The dangers of long sleep

Serious complications arise with hypersomnia. Sleep problems can cause the following problems:

• migraine;
• disorders of blood circulation and thyroid function;
• decreased muscle tone and frequent manifestations of sleep paralysis;
• inability to concentrate;
• memory problems;
• loss of strength and fatigue;
• slow reaction.

Due to such changes in the body, the quality of life is significantly reduced. Motor activity becomes limited.

Signs of approaching death

Sometimes a dying person begins to spend a longer period of time in a state of rest. Naturally, such changes cause concern among people close to him. However, the fact that an old man needs more time to sleep does not indicate his imminent departure to another world. If he feels well, is not sick and is active, then there is no reason to worry.

Concerns arise in cases where increased drowsiness is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• almost complete loss of appetite;
• periodic fainting and loss of consciousness;
• problems with articulation;
• symptoms of oxygen starvation;
• legs and arms become cold and numb;
• bluish spots appear under the skin;
• interest in everything happening around disappears.

Such symptoms may indicate approaching death. In this case, drowsiness is considered a natural reaction that contributes to a painless departure to another world.

An increase in sleep duration in old age is often observed. Such changes do not always indicate pathology. Quite often they are a variant of the norm. Symptoms associated with increased sleepiness are of concern.

Older people are different from younger generations, and one difference lies in their behavior. Why do older people usually sleep a lot? This is due to age-related changes, certain influencing factors or health problems.

It is believed that to satisfy the need for sleep, it is enough for an adult to rest for 6-8 hours at night. But this opinion is erroneous: the daily sleep requirement is determined individually and depends on the characteristics of the body, health status, lifestyle and other factors.

Old people often sleep longer than generally accepted norms. Firstly, this is due to inevitable age-related changes. Secondly, most older people have health problems and a number of chronic diseases that affect the quality of sleep. Thirdly, brain function changes, directly affecting the period of night rest.

A mature or old person experiences an increased need for sleep and sleeps longer than a young person. The duration of night rest is on average 8-9 hours. But the duration of the period is individual and depends on many factors, so it is determined by personal feelings. A person has had enough sleep if he wakes up easily, does not feel drowsy, feels cheerful and remains active during the day.

Signs of hypersomnia

An increase in sleep duration is called hypersomnia and has the following symptoms:

• Increasing the duration of night sleep to 11-12 hours or more.
• Difficulty experienced when waking up in the morning.
• The need for daytime sleep or increasing its duration.
• Drowsiness that persists during the day.
• Decreased muscle tone, observed after waking up and lasting for several hours.
• Uncontrollable, sudden and spontaneous dips or “lapses” into sleep, especially during daylight hours. An elderly person can literally fall asleep on the go under any circumstances and in unexpected places (at the table, in the toilet, in transport).
• Prolonged awakening, prolonged transition to wakefulness.
• Impaired consciousness, episodic visual disturbances, memory lapses, confusion of reality and dreams, hallucinations.

One symptom, several or all at once may occur. Sometimes they do not cause discomfort, do not affect the condition and behavior of an elderly person, do not disturb others and do not alarm relatives. But if alarming symptoms appear, or the quality of sleep and life deteriorates, you need to be wary and visit a doctor.

The influence of factors that increase sleep duration

Drowsiness and an increased need for rest can be caused by the following factors:

• Overcast weather. In the absence of sunlight, the body does not receive a timely wake-up signal and continues to remain in a state of rest.
• Sudden weather changes or anomalies: critical changes in temperature, atmospheric pressure and humidity levels, magnetic storms. Such factors affect the body of an elderly person, which is already worn out and does not function at full capacity. As a result, weakness and drowsiness develop.
• The impossibility of a restful and sound night's sleep due to irritants: loud sounds coming from the window or made by other residents of the apartment or house, blood-sucking insects in the bedroom, bright light.
• Unfavorable microclimate in an elderly person’s room: high or low air temperature, high or low humidity levels, lack of oxygen, stuffiness.
• Stress, strong experiences. The nervous system can react to shocks with dysfunction and lethargy. Sleep will become a protective reaction of the body, necessary to restore strength and stabilize the condition.
• Severe fatigue. Elderly people get tired quickly, so even minor loads are perceived as intense, causing fatigue and a desire to rest. For this reason, pensioners who work or care for their grandchildren get very tired and sleep a lot.
• Taking certain medications: blood pressure lowering drugs, cardiac glycosides, certain groups of antibiotics, sedatives, antitussive drugs, psychotropic drugs, antiparkinsonian drugs, hormonal drugs, antidiabetic drugs. They may cause side effects, including decreased performance and drowsiness.
• Bad habits can persist throughout life, and in old age they have an extremely negative impact on health, causing obvious symptoms and disruptions. If you abuse alcoholic beverages, you may experience drowsiness, weakness, apathy, depression, deterioration of reaction and concentration. Smoking can also affect the condition.

Inevitable age-related changes that cause drowsiness

Why do older people sleep a lot? The increasing need for rest is associated with age-related changes occurring in the body. They are caused by tissue aging and have a pronounced effect on important systems and organs.

Firstly, the volume of the lungs decreases, which causes hypoxia to develop, affecting the functioning of the brain.

Secondly, an old person’s appetite worsens, and due to a lack of nutrients, vitamin deficiency develops, causing drowsiness.

Thirdly, the cardiovascular system works worse: the heart muscle weakens, pumps blood more slowly, blood vessels stretch, and the tone of their walls decreases. Blood circulation is disrupted, blood flows more slowly to the brain, which provokes a number of unpleasant symptoms characteristic of older people.

Fourthly, changes affect the hormonal system. The level of hormones decreases, including those responsible for mood, sleep, and wakefulness. Fifthly, metabolism slows down, energy is produced more slowly and in smaller quantities, it is not enough to maintain a level of activity normal for a young age.

Pathologies and health problems

If an elderly person sleeps a lot during the day, this may indicate a change in health for the worse. By old age, most people have diseases, including chronic and serious ones, that affect the functioning of the body. Some are accompanied by an increased need for rest, decreased performance and activity.

Pathological reasons that force old people to sleep a lot:

1. An old person may want to rest and sleep due to a recent serious illness. Drowsiness occurs after strokes or heart attacks, but can occur after infectious diseases. The body suffers and wears out, all the energy goes into recovery, so there is a deficiency of energy, and fatigue increases. Old people who are often ill or have chronic illnesses sleep a lot, since poor health is a huge burden on the body.
2. Hypotension is a decrease in blood pressure. Symptoms: dizziness, drowsiness, apathy, weakness
3. Oncological diseases, benign or malignant tumors localized in vital human organs: the brain, thyroid gland, lungs.
4. Diseases of the endocrine system: diabetes mellitus, thyroid pathologies.
5. Hormonal disruptions affect brain function, including the areas responsible for wakefulness and sleep.
6. Dementia is senile dementia. When it occurs, the functions of the brain are disrupted, and parts of it stop working correctly. This affects state, behavior, habits, thought processes, activity.

Sleep disorders

Older people who sleep a lot complain of other symptoms: weakness, apathy and lethargy after waking up, restless sleep, nightmares, trembling. After 55-60 years, the risks of night apnea increase - breath holdings that occur due to snoring and affect the functioning of the body. Sleep disorders are accompanied by irritability, depression, anxiety, surges in blood pressure, and headaches.

Possible dangers

If a person wants to sleep constantly, this affects his quality of life, health and behavior. Normally, a balance between wakefulness and rest should be maintained: during the period of activity, the brain functions, maintaining connections and reactions, and other organs work.

Prolonged sleep has a negative impact on the body and causes disturbances in brain activity, fatigue, deterioration of relationships with loved ones, slower reactions, headaches, lethargy, memory impairment, weakness, weight gain, and decreased performance.

Does the symptom indicate that death is approaching?

Some people think that the desire to sleep occurs towards the end of life and indicates the approach of death. If a person begins to sleep more, but feels normal and behaves as usual, then he definitely will not die, and the worries of his loved ones are in vain.

The following symptoms should alert you and be a reason to consult a doctor: incoherent speech, sudden changes in behavior, fainting and loss of consciousness, refusal to eat, pale skin, numbness, coldness of the extremities, impaired mobility, blue or purple spots on the body, gestural disturbances and articulation, breathing problems, complete apathy. If you don't help an elderly person, disaster will soon happen.

How to help and prevent trouble

If an old man wants to sleep all day, his family should monitor his condition and pay attention to changes in his condition and health. Recommended preventive measures:

1. Healthy and balanced diet.
2. Staying active: walking in the fresh air, moderate exercise.
3. Rejection of bad habits.
4. Taking vitamin preparations.
5. The use of medications is strictly under the supervision of a physician.
6. Hobbies, interests, interesting activities, caring for a pet, communication with friends and family.
7. Watching positive films and programs.
8. Timely visits to the doctor for health problems, preventive examinations and medical examinations.
9. Regular brain training: solving crosswords, learning poetry, intellectual games.
10. Development, learning new skills.
11. Folk remedies are useful for the sleep of an elderly person. You can drink tea with mint, linden, hawthorn, and ginseng. But the folk remedy is selected by the doctor after examination.

There are various reasons for the constant desire to sleep in older people, and not all are serious. Sometimes rest is normal, but you need to be careful about your health to avoid problems.

Most people believe that as people get older, they need more and more time to sleep, so older people sleep a lot. It is logical that growing up is identified with aging. At the same time, there is an opinion that older people need less time to recuperate than adults leading an active life. In view of this, there is a theory that pensioners only need 6-7 hours of sleep.

Reasons for increasing sleep needs

If you draw a graph of sleep duration at different ages, it will appear in the form of a parabola with the highest values ​​in the first and last days of life. It is not without reason that it has been noted that when an old person sleeps all the time, it means that internal resources have been exhausted and the allotted life span is coming to an end. But it is wrong to believe that all people in old age have a greater need for sleep.

Each person is individual and, despite general physiological patterns, there are also individual characteristics. This applies to sleep duration in older people. This is determined by two factors:

• established daily routine;
• the presence of diseases.

The pensioner maintains the sleep schedule that has developed during his working life. Although most people note that after retirement, on the contrary, they began to sleep better, because... Problems related to professional responsibilities have disappeared. However, people wake up without an alarm at the same time as before. It takes a year or two for the body to get used to the new routine. But for some, until the end of their lives, they maintain a clear daily routine and activity developed throughout their lives. By the way, such people feel better and get sick less.

It is not entirely true that old people sleep a lot. Old people sleep as much as their body requires. Sleep is the time that nature allows the human body to restore and recharge with vital forces. A sleeping person is like a battery connected to recharge. The longer the battery life, the longer it takes to charge, but it still contains less energy. Therefore, on average, about nine hours of total daily sleep is needed for an aging body to continue functioning.

Diseases that arise with age also do not contribute to the normal restoration of the body during sleep, since they affect both the duration and quality of night's rest. Age-related ailments are characterized by pain at night, so older people sleep a lot during the day, when they feel better.

Normal sleep duration in older people

Physiologists have found that an elderly person should normally sleep 7-9 hours. Old people are considered to sleep a lot if their sleep lasts 10 hours or more. This indicates the development of pathological processes in the body. Old age in itself is not a pathology, it is physiology, i.e. norm. Hormonal changes are also physiological and also affect the quality of sleep.

Getting a good night's sleep in old age allows you to:

• sleeping mode;
• sleep hygiene;
• if necessary, use of medications.

For the elderly, the same rules for healthy sleep apply as for working people:

• ventilated room;
• clean bed linen;
• humidity and temperature.

Doctors note that old people are constantly cold, so they need a warmer bed and pajamas, soft warm socks. A warm bath before bed, or at least a hot foot bath, is helpful.

When talking about sleep hygiene, one should not lose sight of personal hygiene products – urological pads for women. With changes in hormonal levels, urine leakage may occur at night, which significantly reduces sleep comfort and causes psychological discomfort.

In men, the hormonal scourge of age is changes in the prostate gland. In the early stages of the disease, an enlarged prostate forces a person to get up to urinate several times a night, and in advanced cases leads to urinary incontinence. In these cases, special diapers for older people can improve the quality of sleep.

The duration and quality of sleep is affected by compliance with the doctor’s instructions for taking medications if any disease (or often several) is diagnosed. Taking medications in a timely manner ensures restful sleep. If you experience night pain, you should definitely consult a doctor to adjust your medication.

Daytime naps are required. It is best to take a nap in the afternoon for 30-40 minutes. Long daytime sleep can cause disruption of biorhythms, which will affect your health: headache, feeling of lethargy. If an elderly person constantly sleeps, this is already a sign of serious pathologies.

Main symptoms of hypersomnia

When an elderly person constantly sleeps, the reasons must be discovered as soon as possible: often this is a symptom of serious illnesses, the timely detection of which will help, if not cure, then at least alleviate the condition of the elderly patient.

Hypersomnia is excessive (more than 14 hours) sleep duration. Elderly people may alternate between attacks of insomnia (insomnia) and hypersomnia, when, due to poor health or psychological reasons, first the grandmother or grandfather sleeps in fits and starts, and then, when the pain goes away or the cause of negative emotions disappears, they simply sleep off. This is situational hypersomnia, which does not cause cause for concern (except for the root cause, of course, which needs to be dealt with). If an old person simply sleeps a lot, this is not normal.

Signs of hypersomnia are:

• constant drowsiness;
• feeling tired after a long sleep;
• lack of a sleep schedule as such.

These symptoms may indicate the onset of a serious illness (ministroke, encephalitis, etc.), so it is dangerous to miss such moments.

If an older person sleeps too long, it is necessary to determine why this is happening. Violation of the schedule can be caused by both pathological and physiological factors, among which it should be noted:

• overwork (fatigue has a cumulative effect and can accumulate);
• alcoholism and drug addiction;
• depression, stress, unfavorable, from a psychological point of view, environment in the house;
• suffered a stroke;
• high or low blood pressure;
• disruption of the endocrine system;
• brain tumors.

It should be taken into account that in winter people sleep longer due to shorter daylight hours. Bedridden patients spend significantly more time dozing than healthy people. Some medications also affect the duration of rest.

A peculiarity of older people is that their well-being depends on the weather: a decrease in atmospheric pressure causes an irresistible desire to sleep at any time of the day.

Pathologically long sleep leads to:

• development of migraine attacks;
• hyperglycemia due to hormonal disorders;
• persistent muscle weakness;
• decreased intellectual abilities, memory impairment, absent-mindedness;
• the formation of excess weight due to metabolic disorders;
• constant fatigue and feeling of weakness.

Even the performance that is possible for a given age decreases. The bad thing is that all these symptoms significantly impair motor activity, which is useful for maintaining tone at any age.

Long sleep as a harbinger of death

Popular belief says that people sleep a lot before they die. The reasons for long sleep can be very different, but there are alarming signs by which you can determine that a person will die soon.

1. Loss of appetite. At first, a person loses interest in food, even the most favorite dishes, while eating much less than usual. Complete loss of appetite and refusal to eat may indicate approaching death.
2. Increased sleepiness. Sleep lasts at least 12 hours, it is very difficult to wake a person. The duration of sleep increases every day, dizziness appears after waking up.
3. Disorientation and confusion. An elderly person, between sleeps, cannot understand where he is or how old he is. He stops recognizing his relatives, cannot remember their names, and may become delirious in his sleep and in reality.
4. Breathing problems. Breathing becomes difficult, irregular, accompanied by wheezing. Cheyne-Stokes syndrome may occur.
5. Urinary dysfunction. Involuntary urination occurs, often accompanied by uncontrolled defecation.
6. Swelling of the lower extremities. Due to impaired blood circulation and lymph flow, the legs and feet swell, sometimes very significantly (it is impossible not only to put on slippers, but also to put on stockings and socks).
7. Hypothermia. With impaired blood circulation, body temperature decreases, this is especially noticeable in the fingers and toes: they become icy to the touch.
8. Venous spots. Fragility of blood vessels leads to the appearance of characteristic bluish spots under the skin, similar to hematomas. They appear especially often in diabetes mellitus, since any, even minor, mechanical impact leads to damage to the vessel and subcutaneous hemorrhage.
9. Uncontrollable emotions. Old people become capricious, sometimes their behavior is simply unbearable. At the same time, attacks of anger alternate with stormy apologies. Unreasonable tears, resentment, and suspicion can infuriate those around you, so you need to be patient. One should expect the worst when old people become completely indifferent and do not react to any stimuli.

Physician assessment of patients with prolonged sleep

Medicine is powerless to restore youth, so old age must be taken for granted. At the same time, it depends on the person himself how he will age. A proper daily routine and a healthy lifestyle make it possible to maintain a clear mind and be active in old age.

If hypersomnia is a symptom of the disease, all efforts should be directed toward treatment. If this is the approach of the end, you need to make it easy.

The cause of excessive sleepiness can be determined based on the results of examination, clinical tests and based on the stories of the patients themselves and their loved ones.

The main help is to provide elderly people with a dignified old age. When it comes to imminent death, you need to overcome the feeling of powerlessness and not disturb the elderly once again when they are sleeping. So that even in their sleep they feel the care and love of their relatives, it is better to hold their hand in yours, quietly speak kind, affectionate words, even quietly hum a lullaby. A person should leave knowing that they have lived a worthwhile life and are surrounded by loving and caring people.

In old age, as in any other age, a sleep schedule is necessary. It must take into account age characteristics. If you experience excessive drowsiness, you should consult a doctor.

If there is a bedridden patient in the house who is in serious condition, it will not hurt the relatives to know the signs of approaching death in order to be well prepared. The process of dying can occur not only physically, but also mentally. Considering the fact that each person is individual, each patient will have their own characteristics, but there are still some general symptoms that will indicate the imminent end of a person’s life.

How can a person feel as death approaches?

We are not talking about a person for whom death is sudden, but about patients who have been sick for a long time and are bedridden. As a rule, such patients can experience mental anguish for a long time, because being in their right mind a person understands perfectly well what he has to endure. A dying person constantly feels all the changes that occur in his body. And all this ultimately contributes to constant changes in mood, as well as loss of mental balance.

Most bedridden patients withdraw into themselves. They begin to sleep a lot, but remain indifferent to everything that happens around them. There are also frequent cases when, just before death, patients’ health suddenly improves, but after a while the body becomes even weaker, followed by a failure of all vital functions of the body.

Signs of imminent death

It is impossible to predict the exact time of departure to another world, but paying attention to the signs of approaching death is quite possible. Let's look at the main symptoms that may indicate imminent death:

1. The patient loses his energy, sleeps a lot, and the periods of wakefulness become less and less each time. Sometimes a person can sleep for a whole day and stay awake for only a couple of hours.
2. Breathing changes, the patient may breathe either too quickly or too slowly. In some cases, it may even seem that the person has completely stopped breathing for a while.
3. He loses his hearing and vision, and sometimes hallucinations may occur. During such periods, the patient may hear or see something that is not really happening. You can often see him talking to people who have long been dead.
4. A bedridden patient loses his appetite, and he not only stops eating protein foods, but also refuses to drink. To somehow allow moisture to seep into his mouth, you can dip a special sponge in water and moisten your dry lips with it.
5. The color of the urine changes, it becomes dark brown or even dark red, and its smell becomes very pungent and toxic.
6. Body temperature often changes, it can be high, and then drop sharply.
7. An elderly bedridden patient may become lost in time.

Of course, it is impossible to extinguish the pain of loved ones from the imminent loss of their loved one, but it is still possible to prepare and prepare yourself psychologically.

What does drowsiness and weakness in a bedridden patient indicate?

When death approaches, a bedridden patient begins to sleep a lot, and the point is not that he feels very tired, but that it is simply difficult for such a person to wake up. The patient is often in deep sleep, so his reaction is inhibited. This condition is close to coma. The manifestation of excessive weakness and drowsiness naturally slows down some of a person’s physiological abilities, so in order to roll over from one side to the other or go to the toilet, he will need help.

What changes occur in respiratory function?

Relatives who care for the patient may notice how his rapid breathing will sometimes give way to breathlessness. And over time, the patient’s breathing may become moist and stagnant, causing wheezing to be heard when inhaling or exhaling. It occurs because fluid collects in the lungs, which is no longer removed naturally by coughing.

Sometimes the patient is helped by being turned from one side to the other, then the liquid can come out of the mouth. Some patients are prescribed oxygen therapy to relieve suffering, but it does not prolong life.

How do vision and hearing change?

Minute clouding of consciousness in severely ill patients can be directly related to changes in vision and hearing. This often happens in their last weeks of life, for example, they stop seeing and hearing well, or, on the contrary, they hear things that no one else can hear.

The most common are visual hallucinations just before death, when a person thinks that someone is calling him or he sees someone. In this case, doctors recommend agreeing with the dying person in order to at least somehow cheer him up; you should not deny what the patient sees or hears, otherwise it can greatly upset him.

How does your appetite change?

In a bedridden patient, before death, the metabolic process may be reduced, which is why he stops wanting to eat and drink.

Naturally, to support the body, the patient should still be given at least some nutritious food, so it is recommended to feed the person in small portions until he is able to swallow. And when this ability is lost, then it is no longer possible to do without IVs.

What changes occur in the bladder and intestines before death?

Signs of imminent death of a patient are directly related to changes in the functioning of the kidneys and intestines. The kidneys stop producing urine, so it becomes dark brown in color, because the filtration process is disrupted. A small amount of urine can contain a huge amount of toxins that have a detrimental effect on the entire body.

Such changes can lead to complete failure of the kidneys, the person falls into a coma and dies after a while. Due to the fact that appetite decreases, changes occur in the intestines themselves. The stool becomes hard, causing constipation. The patient needs to alleviate the condition, so relatives who care for him are recommended to give the patient an enema every three days or make sure that he takes a laxative on time.

How does body temperature change?

If there is a bedridden patient in the house, the signs before death can be very diverse. Relatives may notice that a person’s body temperature is constantly changing. This is due to the fact that the part of the brain that is responsible for thermoregulation may not function well.

At some point, body temperature can rise to 39 degrees, but after half an hour it can drop significantly. Naturally, in this case, it will be necessary to give the patient antipyretic drugs, most often Ibuprofen or Aspirin are used. If the patient does not have the function of swallowing, then antipyretic suppositories can be given or an injection can be given.

Just before death, the temperature immediately drops, the arms and legs become cold, and the skin in these areas becomes covered with red spots.

Why does a person’s mood often change before death?

A dying person, without realizing it, is gradually preparing himself for death. He has enough time to analyze his entire life and draw conclusions about what was done right or wrong. It seems to the patient that everything he says is misinterpreted by his family and friends, so he begins to withdraw into himself and stops communicating with others.

In many cases, clouding of consciousness occurs, so a person can remember everything that happened to him a long time ago in the smallest details, but he will no longer remember what happened an hour ago. It can be scary when this condition reaches the point of psychosis, in which case it is necessary to consult a doctor who can prescribe sedatives to the patient.

How can I help a dying person relieve physical pain?

A bedridden patient after a stroke or a person who has become incapacitated due to another illness may experience severe pain. To somehow alleviate his suffering, it is necessary to use painkillers.

A pain reliever may be prescribed by your doctor. And if the patient does not have any problems with swallowing, then the drugs can be in the form of tablets, but in other cases injections will have to be used.

If a person has a serious illness that is accompanied by severe pain, then it will be necessary to use drugs that are available only by prescription, for example, these could be Fentanyl, Codeine or Morphine.

Today, there are many drugs that will be effective for pain, some of them are produced in the form of drops that are dripped under the tongue, and sometimes even a patch can provide significant help to the patient. There is a category of people who are very careful about painkillers, citing the fact that addiction may occur. To avoid addiction, as soon as a person begins to feel better, you can stop taking the drug for a while.

Emotional stress experienced by the dying person

Changes with a person before death concern not only his physical health, but also affect his psychological state. If a person experiences a little stress, then this is normal, but if the stress lasts for a long time, then most likely this is the deep depression that a person experiences before death. The fact is that everyone can have their own emotional experiences and will show their own signs before death.

A bedridden patient will experience not only physical pain, but also mental pain, which will have an extremely negative impact on his general condition and will bring the moment of death closer.

But even if a person has a fatal illness, relatives should try to cure their loved one’s depression. In this case, the doctor may prescribe antidepressants or consultations with a psychologist. This is a natural process when a person becomes despondent, knowing that he has very little time left to live in the world, so relatives should do their best to distract the patient from sad thoughts.

Additional symptoms before death

It should be noted that there are different signs before death. A bedridden patient may experience symptoms that are not detected in others. For example, some patients often complain of constant nausea and vomiting, although their disease has nothing to do with the gastrointestinal tract. This process is easily explained by the fact that due to illness, the body becomes weaker and cannot cope with the digestion of food, which can cause certain problems with the functioning of the stomach.

In this case, relatives will need to seek help from a doctor who can prescribe medications to alleviate this condition. For example, for persistent constipation, a laxative can be used, and for nausea, other effective medications are prescribed that will dull this unpleasant feeling.

Naturally, not a single such drug can save a life or prolong it indefinitely, but it is still possible to alleviate the suffering of a loved one, so it would be wrong not to take advantage of this chance.

How to care for a dying relative?

Today there are special means for caring for bedridden patients. With their help, the person caring for the patient makes his work much easier. But the fact is that a dying person requires not only physical care, but also a lot of attention - he needs constant conversations in order to be distracted from his sad thoughts, and only family and friends can provide emotional conversations.

A sick person must be absolutely calm, and unnecessary stress will only bring the minutes of his death closer. To alleviate the suffering of a relative, you need to seek help from qualified doctors who can prescribe all the necessary medications to help overcome many unpleasant symptoms.

All the signs listed above are general, and it should be remembered that each person is individual, which means that the body can behave differently in different situations. And if there is a bedridden patient in the house, his signs before death may turn out to be completely unexpected for you, since everything depends on the disease and on the individuality of the organism.

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“I fall asleep while walking”, “I sit at lectures and sleep”, “I struggle to sleep at work” - such expressions can be heard from many people, however, as a rule, they evoke jokes rather than compassion. Drowsiness is mainly due to lack of sleep at night, overwork, or simply boredom and monotony in life. However, fatigue should go away after rest, boredom can be dispelled by other methods, and monotony can be diversified. But for many, drowsiness from the activities taken does not go away; the person sleeps enough at night, but during the daytime, constantly holding back a yawn, he looks for where it would be “more comfortable to sit down.”

The feeling when you irresistibly want to sleep, but there is no such opportunity, frankly speaking, is disgusting, capable of causing aggression towards those who prevent you from doing this or, in general, towards the entire world around you. In addition, problems do not always arise only during the daytime. Imperative (irresistible) episodes during the day create the same obsessive thoughts: “When I come, I’ll go straight to sleep.” Not everyone succeeds in this; an irresistible desire may disappear after a short 10-minute sleep, frequent awakenings in the middle of the night do not allow rest, and nightmares often occur. And tomorrow - everything will repeat again from the beginning...

The problem may become the butt of jokes

With rare exceptions, watching day after day a lethargic and apathetic person constantly trying to “take a nap”, someone seriously thinks that he is not healthy. Colleagues get used to it, perceive it as indifference and indifference, and consider these manifestations more of a character trait than a pathological condition. Sometimes constant drowsiness and apathy generally become the subject of jokes and all sorts of jokes.

Medicine “thinks” differently. She calls excessive sleep duration hypersomnia. and its variants are named depending on the disorder, because constant sleepiness during the day does not always mean a full night’s rest, even if a lot of time has been spent in bed.

From the point of view of specialists, such a condition requires research, because daytime drowsiness, which occurs in a person who seems to have slept sufficiently at night, may be a symptom of a pathological condition that is not perceived by ordinary people as a disease. And how can one evaluate such behavior if a person does not complain, says that nothing hurts him, he sleeps well and, in principle, is healthy - just for some reason he is constantly drawn to sleep.

Outsiders here, of course, are unlikely to help; you need to delve into yourself and try to find the reason, and, perhaps, contact a specialist.

Signs of drowsiness are not difficult to detect in yourself; they are quite “eloquent”:

• Fatigue, lethargy, loss of strength and constant obsessive yawning - these signs of poor health, when nothing hurts, prevent you from plunging headlong into work;
• Consciousness is somewhat dulled, surrounding events are not particularly exciting;
• The mucous membranes become dry;
• The sensitivity of peripheral analyzers decreases;
• Heart rate decreases.

We should not forget that the sleep norm of 8 hours is not suitable for all age categories. For a child under six months of age, constant sleep is considered normal. However, as he grows and gains strength, his priorities change, he wants to play more and more, to explore the world, so he has less and less time to sleep during the day. For older people, on the contrary, the older a person is, the more he needs to not go far from the sofa.

Still fixable

The modern rhythm of life predisposes to neuropsychic overloads, which, to a greater extent than physical ones, can lead to sleep disorders. Temporary fatigue, although manifested by drowsiness (which is also temporary), quickly passes when the body rests, and then sleep is restored. M It can be said that in many cases people themselves are to blame for overloading their body.

When does daytime sleepiness not cause concern for your health? The reasons may be different, but, as a rule, these are transient personal problems, periodic emergency situations at work, a cold, or rare exposure to fresh air. Here are a few examples when the desire to organize a “quiet hour” is not considered a symptom of a serious illness:

• Lack of night sleep caused by banal reasons: personal experiences, stress, caring for a newborn, a session with students, an annual report, that is, circumstances to which a person devotes a lot of effort and time to the detriment of rest.
• Chronic fatigue, which the patient himself speaks about, meaning constant work (mental and physical), endless household chores, lack of time for hobbies, sports, walks in the fresh air and entertainment. In a word, the person got caught up in the routine, he missed the moment when the body recovered in a couple of days, with chronic fatigue, when everything has gone so far, perhaps, in addition to rest, long-term treatment will also be needed.
• Fatigue makes itself felt more quickly when there is insufficient oxygen supply to the body, why the brain begins to experience starvation ( hypoxia). This happens if a person works for a long time in unventilated rooms and spends little time in the fresh air in his free time. What if he also smokes?
• Lack of sunlight. It's no secret that cloudy weather, the monotonous tapping of raindrops on the glass, the rustling of leaves outside the window greatly contribute to daytime drowsiness, which is difficult to cope with.
• Lethargy, loss of strength and the need for longer sleep appear when “the fields are compressed, the groves are bare,” and nature itself is about to plunge into sleep for a long time - late autumn, winter(it gets dark early, the sun rises late).
• After a hearty lunch there is a desire to lay your head on something soft and cool. This is all the blood circulating through our vessels - it strives for the digestive organs - there is a lot of work there, and at this time less blood flows to the brain and, along with it, oxygen. So it turns out that when the stomach is full, the brain is starving. Fortunately, this doesn't last long, so the afternoon nap passes quickly.
• Fatigue and sleepiness during the day may appear as a protective reaction of the body with psycho-emotional stress, stress, prolonged anxiety.
• Taking medications First of all, tranquilizers, antidepressants, neuroleptics, sleeping pills, and certain antihistamines that have lethargy and drowsiness as a direct effect or side effects can cause similar symptoms.
• Mild cold which in most cases is tolerated on your feet, without sick leave or medication (the body copes on its own), is manifested by rapid fatigue, so during the working day it tends to fall asleep.

• Pregnancy in itself, of course, it is a physiological condition, but one cannot ignore the changes occurring in a woman’s body, primarily related to the ratio of hormones, which are accompanied by sleep disturbances (it is difficult to sleep at night, and during the day there is not always such an opportunity).
• Hypothermia– decrease in body temperature as a result of hypothermia. From time immemorial, people have known that when they find themselves in unfavorable conditions (blizzard, frost), the main thing is not to succumb to the temptation to rest and sleep, but they are incredibly prone to sleep from fatigue in the cold: a feeling of warmth often appears, a person begins to feel that he is in good health. a heated room and a warm bed. This is a very dangerous symptom.

However, there are conditions that are often included in the concept of “syndrome”. How should we perceive them? In order for the presence of such a disease to be confirmed, you need not only to undergo some tests and go to some kind of fashionable examination. A person, first of all, must identify his problems and make specific complaints, but, unfortunately, in most cases people consider themselves healthy, and doctors, to be honest, often brush aside the “insignificant claims” of patients about their health.

Disease or normal?

Lethargy, drowsiness, and daytime fatigue can result from various pathological conditions, even if we do not consider them as such:

1. Apathy and lethargy, as well as the desire to sleep at inappropriate times, appear when neurotic disorders and depressive states, which are within the competence of psychotherapists, it is better for amateurs not to meddle in such subtle matters.
2. Weakness and drowsiness, irritability and weakness, loss of strength and decreased ability to work are often noted in their complaints by people suffering from sleep apnea(breathing problems during sleep).
3. Loss of energy, apathy, weakness and drowsiness are symptoms , which nowadays is often repeated by both doctors and patients, but few have seen it written down as a diagnosis.
4. Often lethargy and a desire to sleep during the day are noted by patients whose outpatient records include such a “semi-diagnosis” as or , or whatever else such a condition is called.
5. I would like to stay longer in bed, sleep both at night and during the day for people who have recently had infection - acute, or having it in a chronic form. The immune system, trying to restore its defenses, requires rest from other systems. During sleep, the body inspects the condition of the internal organs after the illness (what damage has been caused by it?) in order to correct everything if possible.
6. Keeps you awake at night and makes you sleepy during the day "restless legs syndrome". Doctors do not find any specific pathology in such patients, and night rest turns into a big problem.
7. Fibromyalgia. Due to what reasons and circumstances this disease appears, science does not know for sure, since, apart from excruciating pain throughout the body, disturbing peace and sleep, doctors do not find any pathology in the suffering person.
8. Alcoholism, drug addiction and other abuses in the status of “former” - in such patients, sleep is often disrupted forever, not to mention the conditions after abstinence and “withdrawal”.

The already long list of causes of daytime sleepiness that occurs in people who are considered practically healthy and able to work could be continued, which we will do in the next section, identifying as causes conditions that are officially recognized as pathological.

The cause is sleep disorders or somnological syndromes

The functions and tasks of sleep are programmed by human nature and consist of restoring the body’s strength spent during daytime activities. As a rule, active life takes 2/3 of the day, approximately 8 hours are allocated for sleep. For a healthy body, in which everything is safe and calm, life support systems are working normally, this time is more than enough - a person wakes up cheerful and rested, goes to work, and in the evening returns to a warm, soft bed.

Meanwhile, the order established since the origin of life on Earth can be destroyed by problems invisible at first glance, which do not allow a person to sleep at night and force him to fall asleep on the move during the day:

• • (insomnia) at night very quickly forms signs indicating that a person is not doing well: nervousness, fatigue, impaired memory and attention, depression, loss of interest in life and, of course, lethargy and constant drowsiness during the day.
  • Sleeping beauty syndrome (Kleine-Levin) the reason for which still remains unclear. Almost no one considers this syndrome a disease, because during the intervals between attacks, patients are no different from other people and do not resemble patients. This pathology is characterized by periodically occurring (intervals from 3 months to six months) episodes of long sleep (on average, 2/3 days, although sometimes a day or two, or even longer). The most interesting thing is that people wake up to go to the toilet and eat. In addition to prolonged sleep during exacerbations, other oddities are noticed in patients: they eat a lot without controlling this process, some (males) exhibit hypersexuality, become aggressive towards others if they try to stop gluttony or hibernation.
  • Idiopathic hypersomnia. This disease can plague people up to 30 years of age, so it is often mistaken for the healthy sleep of young people. It is characterized by daytime drowsiness, which occurs even in situations that require high activity (study, for example). Despite a long and full night's rest, awakening is difficult, a bad mood and anger do not leave the person who “got up so early” for a long time.
  • Narcolepsy– a rather severe sleep disorder that is difficult to treat. It is almost impossible to get rid of drowsiness forever if you have such a pathology; after symptomatic treatment, it will manifest itself again. Surely, most people have never even heard the term narcolepsy, but sleep specialists consider this disorder to be one of the worst variants of hypersomnia. The thing is that it often does not give rest either during the day, causing an irresistible desire to fall asleep right at the workplace, or at night, creating obstacles to uninterrupted sleep (inexplicable anxiety, hallucinations when falling asleep, which wake up, frighten, provide a bad mood and loss of strength during the coming day).

• Pickwick syndrome(experts also call it obese hypoventilation syndrome). The description of Pickwickian syndrome, oddly enough, belongs to the famous English writer Charles Dickens (“Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club”). Some authors argue that it was the syndrome described by Charles Dickens that became the founder of a new science - somnology. Thus, having nothing to do with medicine, the writer unwittingly contributed to its development. Pickwickian syndrome is mainly observed in people who have an impressive weight (4th degree of obesity), which puts a huge strain on the heart, puts pressure on the diaphragm, complicates breathing movements, resulting in blood thickening ( polycythemia) And hypoxia. Patients with Pickwick's syndrome, as a rule, already suffer from sleep apnea, their rest looks like a series of episodes of stopping and resumption of respiratory activity (the starving brain, when it becomes completely unbearable, forces breathing, interrupting sleep). Of course, during the day - fatigue, weakness and an obsessive desire to sleep. By the way, Pickwick's syndrome is sometimes observed in patients with less than fourth degree obesity. The origin of this disease is not clear, perhaps a genetic factor plays a role in its development, but the fact that all sorts of extreme situations for the body (traumatic brain injury, stress, pregnancy, childbirth) can become an impetus for sleep disorders, in general , proven.

A mysterious illness that also stems from a sleep disorder - hysterical lethargy(lethargic hibernation) is nothing more than a protective reaction of the body in response to severe shock and stress. Of course, drowsiness, lethargy, and slowness can be mistaken for a mild course of a mysterious illness, manifested by periodic and short-term attacks that can occur in the daytime anywhere. Lethargic sleep, which inhibits all physiological processes and lasts for decades, certainly does not fit into the category we are describing (daytime sleepiness).

Is drowsiness a sign of a serious illness?

A problem such as constant drowsiness accompanies many pathological conditions, so there is no need to put it off for later; perhaps it will turn out to be the symptom that will help find the true cause of the ailment, namely a specific disease. Complaints of weakness and drowsiness, loss of strength and bad mood may give reason to suspect:

1. – a decrease in the content, which entails a drop in the level of hemoglobin, a protein that delivers oxygen to cells for respiration. Lack of oxygen leads to hypoxia (oxygen starvation), which is manifested by the above symptoms. Diet, fresh air and iron supplements help get rid of this kind of drowsiness.
2. , , some forms - in general, conditions in which cells do not receive the amount of oxygen necessary for full functioning (mainly, red blood cells, for some reason, cannot carry it to their destination).
3. below normal values ​​(usually blood pressure is taken as normal - 120/80 mmHg). Slow blood flow through dilated vessels also does not contribute to the enrichment of tissues with oxygen and nutrients. Especially under such circumstances, the brain suffers. Patients with low blood pressure often experience dizziness, they cannot tolerate attractions such as swings and carousels, and they get carsick. Blood pressure in hypotensive people decreases after intellectual, physical and psycho-emotional stress, intoxication, and lack of vitamins in the body. Hypotension often accompanies iron deficiency and other anemias, but people suffering from (VSD of hypotonic type).
4. Thyroid diseases with a decrease in her functional abilities ( hypothyroidism). Insufficiency of thyroid function naturally leads to a drop in the level of thyroid-stimulating hormones, which gives a rather varied clinical picture, including: fatigue even after minor physical exertion, memory impairment, absent-mindedness, lethargy, slowness, drowsiness, chilliness, bradycardia or tachycardia, hypotension or arterial hypertension, anemia, damage to the digestive organs, gynecological problems and much more. In general, a lack of thyroid hormones makes these people quite sick, so you can hardly expect them to be highly active in life; they, as a rule, always complain about loss of strength and a constant desire to sleep.
5. Pathology of the cervical spine cerebrospinal fluid (hernia), which leads to feeding the brain.
6. Various hypothalamic lesions, since it contains areas that take part in regulating the rhythms of sleep and wakefulness;
7. Respiratory failure with(decreased oxygen levels in the blood) and hypercapnia(saturation of blood with carbon dioxide) is a direct path to hypoxia and, accordingly, its manifestations.

When the reason is already known

In most cases, chronic patients are well aware of their pathology and know why symptoms that are not directly related to a specific disease periodically arise or are constantly accompanied by:

• , disrupting many processes in the body: the respiratory system, kidneys, and brain suffer, resulting in a lack of oxygen and tissue hypoxia.
• Diseases of the excretory system(nephritis, chronic renal failure) create conditions for the accumulation of substances in the blood that are toxic to the brain;
• Chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, dehydration due to acute digestive disorders (vomiting, diarrhea) characteristic of gastrointestinal pathology;
• Chronic infections(viral, bacterial, fungal), localized in various organs, and neuroinfections affecting brain tissue.
• . Glucose is a source of energy for the body, but without insulin it will not enter the cells (hyperglycemia). It will not be supplied in the required quantity even with normal insulin production but low sugar consumption (hypoglycemia). Both high and low glucose levels for the body threaten starvation, and, therefore, poor health, loss of strength and the desire to sleep more than expected.
• Rheumatism, if glucocorticoids are used for its treatment, they reduce the activity of the adrenal glands, which cease to ensure the patient’s high vital activity.
• Condition after an epileptic seizure ( epilepsy) the patient usually falls asleep, waking up, notes lethargy, weakness, loss of strength, but absolutely does not remember what happened to him.
• Intoxication. Stunning of consciousness, loss of strength, weakness and drowsiness are often among the symptoms of exogenous (food poisoning, poisoning with toxic substances and, most often, alcohol and its surrogates) and endogenous (cirrhosis of the liver, acute renal and hepatic failure) intoxication.

Any pathological process localized in the brain can lead to oxygen starvation of his tissues, and, therefore, to the desire to sleep during the day (which is why they say that such patients often confuse day with night). Diseases such as head vessels, hydrocephalus, traumatic brain injury, dyscirculatory disease, brain tumor and many other diseases, which, along with their symptoms, are already described on our website, impede blood flow in the brain, leading it to a state of hypoxia.

Drowsiness in a child

Many of the conditions listed above can cause weakness and drowsiness in a child, however You cannot compare newborns, infants up to one year old and older children.

Almost round-the-clock hibernation (with breaks only for feeding) in babies up to one year old is happiness for parents, if the baby is healthy. During sleep, it gains strength for growth, forms a full-fledged brain and other systems that have not yet completed their development until the moment of birth.

After six months, the duration of sleep in an infant is reduced to 15-16 hours, the baby begins to be interested in the events happening around him, shows a desire to play, so the daily need for rest will decrease with each month, reaching 11-13 hours by the year.

Drowsiness in a small child can be considered abnormal if there are signs of illness:

• Loose stools or prolonged absence;
• Dry diapers or diapers for a long time (the child has stopped urinating);
• Lethargy and desire to sleep after a head injury;
• Pale (or even bluish) skin;
• Fever;
• Loss of interest in the voices of loved ones, lack of response to affection and stroking;
• Prolonged reluctance to eat.

The appearance of one of the listed symptoms should alert parents and force them to call an ambulance without hesitation - something must have happened to the child.

In an older child, drowsiness is an unnatural phenomenon if he sleeps normally at night and, as it seems at first glance, is not sick. Meanwhile, children's bodies better sense the influence of invisible unfavorable factors and respond accordingly. Weakness and drowsiness, loss of activity, indifference, loss of strength, along with “adult diseases” can cause:

• Worm infestations;
• Traumatic brain injury (), which the child chose to remain silent about;
• Poisoning;
• Astheno-neurotic syndrome;
• Pathology of the blood system (anemia - deficiency and hemolytic, some forms of leukemia);
• Diseases of the digestive, respiratory, circulatory system, pathology of the endocrine system, occurring latently, without obvious clinical manifestations;
• Lack of microelements (iron, in particular) and vitamins in food products;
• Constant and prolonged stay in unventilated areas (tissue hypoxia).

Any decrease in daily activity, lethargy and drowsiness in children are signs of ill health, which should be noticed by adults and become a reason to see a doctor, especially if the child, due to his youth, cannot yet correctly formulate his complaints. You may just have to enrich your diet with vitamins, spend more time in the fresh air, or “poison” the worms. But it’s still better to be safe than sorry, isn’t it?

Treatment of drowsiness

Treatment for drowsiness? It may be, and is, but in each specific case it is separate, in general, it is treatment of a disease that causes a person to struggle with sleep during the day.

Considering the long list of causes of daytime sleepiness, it is impossible to give any universal recipe for how to get rid of drowsiness. Perhaps a person just needs to open the windows more often to let in fresh air or walk outside in the evenings and spend weekends in nature. Maybe it's time to reconsider your attitude towards alcohol and smoking.

It is possible that you will need to streamline your work and rest schedule, switch to a healthy diet, take vitamins, or undergo ferrotherapy. And finally, get tested and undergo an examination.

In any case, you don’t need to rely too much on medications, but it’s human nature to look for the easiest and shortest ways to solve all issues. It’s the same with daytime sleepiness, because it’s better to buy some medicine, take it when your eyes start to stick together, and everything will go away. However, here are a few examples:

Let's say that drowsiness is caused by low blood pressure (), that is, a person knows exactly the reason for his constant falling asleep. Such people, undoubtedly, can afford to love coffee or strong tea more than others, which, in general, is what hypotensive people do. I drank coffee and felt more energetic and had a desire to work, but the main thing was not to overdo it. Even for patients with low blood pressure, excessive doses of these drinks and taking them in the evening may not have a very good effect. In addition, people suffering from hypotension can turn to pharmaceutical herbal remedies. These are tinctures of eleutherococcus, zamanikha, and ginseng. They increase blood pressure and performance, give a surge of vitality and relieve daytime sleepiness.

Another common cause of drowsiness is low. In this case, we can advise you to buy only a vitamin complex at the pharmacy, and the doctor will prescribe iron, if it turns out that iron deficiency anemia actually occurs. But first you will have to undergo an examination and establish the specific reason for the decrease in hemoglobin levels.

Or, let's say, hypoxia. What kind of treatment can a person be prescribed if his body requires a medicine called "oxygen"? Of course, it happens that professional activity and leisure time are somehow structured in such a way that a person spends little time in the fresh air and is overcome by drowsiness during the day. The only advice is to take care of the nutrition of your brain yourself. In connection with hypoxia, one cannot ignore such a bad habit as smoking. And what can be recommended in this case? Of course, if you quit smoking, you will probably feel less sleepy during the daytime.

It is difficult to give one universally satisfying recipe for combating daytime sleepiness to people who have completely different problems: thyroid disease, cardiovascular pathology, respiratory or digestive diseases. It will also not be possible to prescribe the same treatment to those suffering from depression, sleep apnea or chronic fatigue syndrome. Everyone has their own problems, and, accordingly, their own therapy, so it’s clearly impossible to do without an examination and a doctor.

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