It is impatient or fidgety under pressure or restraint; restless is being uneasy, unquiet, or unable to relax or rest.

The restlessness may be a result of some type of discomfort.

RESTLESSNESS

An inability to rest, relax, or concentrate

Extreme restlessness is sometimes called agitation

A condition that occurs in nearly half of all patients during the last 48 hours of life

Anxiety has been defined as an unpleasant emotional state or reaction that can be distinguished from others, such as anger or grief, by a unique combination of experiential qualities and physiological changes.

Anxiety is the emotion caused while your are anxious to get to know some result either positive or negative

Restlessness is an agitated mood and due to which you can not rest or have peace.

Difference between Anxiety &

Restlessness

Signs of Restlessness

Muscle twitching

Moving around without a known reason

Pulling at sheets, covers or clothing

Trying to get out of bed for no known reason

Fidgeting

Sleeplessness

Inability to get comfortable

Grimacing

MANAGEMENT

Give ordered medications to the patient

Offer frequent reassurance to the patient

Remain with the restless person as much as possible

Offer relaxation activities if the patient is alert and oriented

Play soothing music

Meditation or relaxation exercises like spending quiet times interacting with the inner self can help in achieving better focus.

All you need to do is to sit in a quiet place in solitude and ponder. Do it for everyday for a couple of minutes to start with. Initially the mind will wander and you will not be able to concentrate

Self suggestion and the way you talk to your self or others makes a lot of difference to how you respond to situations.

Observe the negativity in your

words and make a conscious effort to change towards positive language.

Affirmations that you may make to yourself can help you achieve better results.

Restlessness is good only if it pertains to moving ahead in life.

If you are not restless you are less likely to look for newer avenues for growth.

A habitually restless mind, on the other hand, hampers your attempts to improve your attention span.

A restless mind gives rise to fears, doubts and causes suffering.

Keep things calm around the patient (for example, decrease numbers of visitors)

Read favorite stories, poems, etc. to your loved one in a calm voice

Do gentle massage, comforting touches, or other things to calm the patient

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Keep the patient safe (for example, do not leave the patient alone while restless)

Understand that restlessness may be a sign that the patient is close to death – let other family members know what is happening

If the restlessness is due to an excess of energy, try to have the person you care for participate in daily exercise.

Similarly, try to have tasks or activities to keep them from getting restless.

Helpful tasks which they could perform are dusting, watering the garden or setting the table.

Some recreational activities they may enjoy are dancing, playing cards or puzzles.

It may be helpful to create an established schedule of activities to improve consistency and routine for the person you care for.

This will help them pass the time, will give them activities to look forward to and will keep them from getting bored.

A whiteboard listing the day, date, and planned activities or appointments will help the person you care for understand their day.

Try to discuss the daily schedule as

well as display it. This may help keep the person from getting restless, as they know what their next activity will be.

The person you care for may become restless with activities they find boring. They may be more likely to participate in an activity that they take interest in.

It is also helpful to consider the type of work or activities that they used to do in the past.

For example, if they used to be a pilot, they may enjoy visiting the airport and watching planes take off.

This will be stimulating and will provide a nice change for them.

Also, try and have different friends and relatives come by to visit the person you care for.

Try to find out if there are particular times of day when the person becomes restless, and if you can think of reasons why this may be the case.

For example, many people become restless around dinner time. This is called sun downing . This may be because they are used to preparing supper at that time.

Give the person you care for a related activity such as setting the table, or ask them to help peel the vegetables.

This may help reduce these feelings of restlessness.