Do not send the person under your care to bed hungry, inebriated, or immediately after exercise or an emotional event. Avoid giving a heavy or highly spiced meal immediately before bedtime. Offer fluids earlier in the evening rather than just before bedtime to minimize sleep interruptions. Do not decrease total fluid intake for the day. Take special care to prevent falls at night if the person under your care is taking sedatives.
Insomnia persists beyond a week.
For a few people with insomnia, associated disease is the cause of the sleeplessness. Loud snoring with pauses in breathing lasts more than ten seconds or the person under your care experiences daytime sleepiness. The person under your care experiences excessive daytime tiredness with frequent naps. Sleep disturbances may be subtle. The sleep pattern is causing excessive caregiver stress or placing the person you are caring for at risk.