Senior Care Diet Tips: The Benefits of Reducing Caffeine

If your senior loved one has been drinking beverages like coffee, tea, or soda for most of their life, then you may have a hard time convincing them to curb their caffeine intake. But, if you can do it, less caffeine offers so many benefits for seniors! To assist you in helping your senior, we’ve outlined some of these convincing benefits and tips below.
Decrease Side Effects
As we go through the aging process, we become increasingly sensitive to caffeine and how it affects us. Typical signs of too much caffeine consumption for anyone include the jitters, feeling out of breath, a racing heart, a headache, or feeling anxious. For seniors, since they are more sensitive, these side effects are often felt more intensely and ca ben harmful to their bodies. But cutting out caffeine or even reducing their intake can be helpful in preventing them.
Less Stress
When we drink caffeine, our bodies increase its production and release of cortisol. Cortisol is also known as the stress hormone, and rightly so. Cortisol is the hormone responsible for unpleasant symptoms such as increases in blood pressure, heart rate, blood glucose, muscle tension, and respiration. If you want to convince your senior to drink less caffeine, feeling healthy and well is a very compelling argument!
Tips to Cut the Caffeine

• To help your senior get better, uninterrupted rest, cut off their caffeine intake at least 4 hours prior to their bedtime. They can still get a moderate dose of caffeine during the day, but cutting it out completely will do wonders for their rest!
• You can introduce your senior to some delicious, caffeine-free alternatives if they are relying on their coffee or tea to stay hydrated. Try offering them fruit-infused water instead!
  • Bonus! Of course, if they really don’t want anything besides their coffee, put a little extra water in their cup to boost their hydration.

Need more tips to keep your senior’s diet healthy and balanced? Home Care Assistance is just a phone call away! Give us a call today to schedule your consultation and talk with our senior care experts.