My 83-year-old dad sleeps about 12 hours a day. Is this normal?

A good physical could find any problem with his long term health problems. Please do not rule out COVID. A lot of my senior patients, (I work a COVID unit in a hospital) tend to sleep more when they have COVID. Many do not have any other symptom other than the tiredness.

NatalieM65: Perhaps he should visit his specialist, in this case - his cardiologist in lieu of his general practitioner. OR he sees his PCP, who performs a CBC (complete blood count) panel to rule out, i.e. thyroid issues, WBC, etc. Then you will have a definitive answer when you get his lab results. Perhaps since he, himself is concerned, it's warranted.

My mom (87) does this... she's got vascular dementia, broke her leg in two separate falls...had to move into AL 350 miles away from her very large home in another state to a very small 1 bedroom studio apartment; very lonely, extremely depressed, and actually bored. That's one reason she says she sleeps so much.

Mom has lost most everything that meant anything to her in her life....her husband, parents, friends (all are deceased), home, possessions, control over her finances, medical care, and her life basically. So sad... I think anyone in that position would just want to sleep to not have to think about it.

Her AL facility has all sorts of very good activities and things they offer for the residents to do. But mom isn't interested in doing any of them and typically refuses. Wants to just sit in her chair all day or sleep. She was brilliant but now can't remember anything sometimes even 5 minutes ago. Still has some long term memory, but it is fading.

Mom is taking medications for her depression and appetite etc. She does take vitamins, and we have her scheduled with three days of PT/OT/ST each week. She also is on the schedule for once a week to the salon to get her hair and nails done.

We do all we can to get her out and encourage her. I'm over there almost every day at least to take her to lunch and sometimes to dinner, out to enjoy shopping at Goodwill (she loves that), or just riding around to look at all the clouds and blue sky. Looking at family picture albums, etc.

But at the end of the day, unless she were able to go back and live in her too large and unsafe house with all her possessions by herself, nothing really satisfies her or makes her truly happy. We do all have a great relationship together and have had and are having some good times. But it will never be the same for her as it was. (We are actually in process of selling all the contents and her home now).

We are making "lemonade out of lemons", and doing the best we can to stay positive and encouraging.

I'm so sorry you and your dad are going through this. Hopefully you will find a good way to help him accept it and still enjoy his life some..sending prayers for that to happen.

As long as his doctor has checked him out, he’s probably doing okay for his age. Make sure that he is drinking enough water, has good blood flow through his heart, and blood sugar is stable. Dehydration is common with older adults and can zap energy. I often set a timer (with Alexa) every hour to remind me to drink four ounces of water for 15 hours during the day. Discuss taking supplements with his doctor or a nutritionist. B vitamins are good for helping with increasing red blood cells, converting food to energy and stabilizing nerves. A little caffeine in the morning might help too. Cold brews have more caffeine and 60-70% less acid than regular coffee. It can be heated up. It really does taste good. The darker the roast, the less acid. I use the Brazilian kind already prepared called La Colombe. You don’t need much. Too much could prevent sleep at night. Make sure that your Dad is getting exercise. Daily walks in the morning before it gets too hot would be something you could do together. Or, maybe he would like to join a senior swim class. Boredom and depression can cause low energy as well. It’s a daily balancing act. Best of health to you both!

My Dad goes to bed later and sleeps in and later has a nap around 3:30 pm . I wouldn’t worry .

my husband was sleeping all day then he had 3 stints put in and is much more awake and busy... Maybe a checkup

If the GP is aware of it and isn't bothered by it, can you pursuade your father that it's OK for him to nap, if he feels like it? My father had heart disease and had the same issue. He had to give up driving because he was falling asleep at the wheel. Just make sure that he's not doing things that could be dangerous (like driving) if he feels sleepy.

I feel I MUST respond to the "GPs never seem concerned with ANYTHING..." Most "GPs" nowadays are practicing in the specialty of Family Medicine, or general internal medicine. Family practice is a specialty and most are Board certified. Most care deeply about their patients and see patients from cradle to grave. If your family physician or general internist isn't concerned about the patient, then you need to find another. Be sure he or she is Board Certified and sees Medicare patients. Then CHANGE. Don't insult all for the failings of one.

Type 2 diabetes doesn’t need to take insulin injections. Are you sure that he takes insulin, or is it Metformin?
My first thought is diabetes. Too much insulin makes us sleepy.
Heart Disease also can make us sleepy. I would get him to a doctor for a checkup and blood work. He may need a new doctor.

I think maybe he should see a geriatric specialist. Also are their senior centers nearby?

When an immobile person is significantly overweight, someone must be bringing him (or her) the food. The wrong kinds of food not only contribute to weight, gain but drastically affect energy, wakefulness, drowsiness etc. Making better nutritional choices might help keep weight under control and would avoid "sleepiness" caused by hormonal reactions to carbohydrates and sugar.

Take a good look at the foods and snacks your father is eating. Reduce simple sugars and carbohydrates. Include lean protein with every meal or snack to help "balance" the digestion and minimize hormonal spikes and dips.

He needs a reason to be awake. Let him get a job.

Get him assessed to see if he is actually sleeping well with a sleep study test. His primary care can write an order for that. Then get him assessed to see if there are any vitamin deficiencies. Again his primary care can order this. Also see if he is diabetic again can be tested through is primary care. If all those things come back with normal results then him sleeping that much is normal for him.Otherwise a healthy adult shouldn't be sleeping that much and then turn around and sleep the whole night. One other thing have his medication looked at, what is he taking and if any of his meds have that effect of making him drowsy. Again his doctor can look at that.

My mom is 86 and most days I would bet she is awake only 2-4 hours. She sleeps very late and then "naps" hours after lunch. Her doctor is not the least bit concerned. She claims she has nothing to do and is bored. No hobbies or interests of any kind. She has sitters everyday and this is the only reason she is awake at all.

Natalie, are you in England? - oh, no, not if you've rain forecast for the next five weeks! Ireland?

Did the cardiologist also ask for a head CT?

The real question about the normal amount of time for your father to sleep is whether it's normal for him. If you've noticed a marked increase, that's what you need to report to the GP.

Why are you worrying about bladder cancer? is he having any difficulties (that he admits to) with passing urine?

Thankyou to all who have replied I have some good ideas and it’s nice to know it’s not uncommon

If everything else is "ok" (translation as ok as they can be at this point, rule out any medical reasons first) it is probably out of boredom and likely a tinge of depression as well. I say that from our experience from my FIL. He uses a CPAP so we can fairly reasonably track his downtime (time with the mask on) using the app that is attached and his daily hours in bed usually run between 10-15 hours a day. His average is about 12. He is 88. He has Type 2 (on insulin), his mobility is pretty bad, he no longer drives, his hearing and vision have declined dramatically in the last 18 months, and then there is the laundry list of other issues. For the longest time we thought he had dementia but his regular primary doctor and his VA primary can't seem to agree on that (he hasn't been assessed yet) - though he certainly has age related decline -and definitely what appears to be the mental decline that comes with isolation.

It is nearly impossible for us to get him out of the house due to his extreme lack of mobility and his size (he is over 300 pounds) and his dependence on a mobility scooter that is oversized (and doesn't fit in many public restrooms) and his walker usage in public is very limited due to small spaces as well (at home he has a "system" of using safety bars and furniture to navigate places his walker can't fit. So in order to take him anywhere it takes two of us and a lot of planning. As you can imagine - we are very limited as to where we can take him - and its not very frequent. So he is isolated at home a lot.

As a result- he has also CHOSEN to self isolate in his room. Its not a small room. He converted the large bonus room YEARS ago into his bedroom. So he has his computer desk, his tv, his electronic lift hospital bed, all of his accessible equipment from the VA(mostly reading and hearing equipment, extra tables, etc) plus some other furniture. But its upstairs and he uses a stair lift to get there. And he NEVER comes down unless he is leaving the house. He goes down the hall and back to get to the bathroom and that's it.

So HE has self limited what he does during the day to that room - literally. He is bored- and a little depressed (we've had that checked out) because HE chooses not to leave the room. We've encouraged him to get out on his scooter, go get his mail, ride around the neighborhood when the weather is good, sit downstairs, sit at the dining room table to eat, be in other rooms. He won't have any of it. He prefers just HIS space. He toggles between his desk and his bed.

And because of all of that - when he gets bored - he goes to bed. He will often sleep ALL day. And then stay up late into the night and nap off and on at night and the sleep all day again. It messes up his medication schedule and his insulin schedule. His doctor asks about his schedule and we just have to laugh. The most I think we have ever tracked is 19 hours in one 24 hour space. The least is 9 hours. And on the 9 hour days he will say that he didn't sleep at all.

With him, when he gets in the bed, he will say it is to watch tv. But he will lay it flat and put that CPAP mask on. That's NOT to watch tv because he can't even SEE it (sorry that's the honest truth - he can't see it over his belly). And once that mask is on...he's going to sleep - there is no question. We've suggested if he wants to be directly in front of the tv to sit UP in bed and not put the mask on and he looks at us like we have grown extra heads.

We have asked him why he does this. His response. "What else am I going to do?" We KNOW he is bored. He won't do what is available to him. And leaving the house, which is what he would like, is just not an option very often. So it's a catch-22 unfortunately. But sleeping is definitely a choice and not an illness response for him.

He may just need more mental stimulation. My mom slept all day when she was still at home, but once we had her in Memory Care, they had her on a schedule. She was up and dressed and at breakfast by 7:30, then they kept her in the common room where various activities were going on all day. She was in a wheelchair, so her location was at the will of the caregivers, but she expressed no desire to go take a nap with all the activity going on around her. She didn't necessarily participate actively, but there was always something to watch or music to listen to.

It's just about impossible to keep up that level of stimulation at home. Can Dad go to a senior center during the day to see if that engages his attention?

What does his cardiologist say about it?

Often times, seniors nap during the day from boredom.

My dad would nod off all-day at home but, he was able to stay wide awake when engaged in activity or fellowship.

Take dad in for bloodwork at his PCPs office. Test him for anemia and B12 levels, things like that, along with the standard tests. He could just be tired, at 83 with multiple health issues at play. But if all the Nana Naps bother him, its worth taking him in for a check up. GPs never seem concerned with ANYTHING until we patients speak up and demand answers for why we're feeling out of sorts, seems to me.

Good luck to you and dad!