Bedroom Safety Tips

Am I at Risk of Falling out of Bed?

The bedroom can be an often over-looked place when it comes to fall prevention. It may not seem as dangerous as the bathroom because after all, how dangerous can sleeping be? The truth is that almost one-quarter (23%) of all falls at home occur in the bedroom, making it just as important to prepare a plan to prevent falls in the bedroom as it is in any other room.

When we speak of falling out of bed, we are generally referring to two things: 1) Falling out of bed during our sleep, and 2) Falling while attempting to get in and out of bed. Seniors may fall out of bed for a wide variety of reasons and are often unexpected. Underlying causes for seniors falling out of bed can include:

- REM behavior disorder, which causes someone to act out their dreams in their sleep
- Recovery from a major surgery that leads to loss of mobility
- A recent traumatic experience (like a heart attack) that leads to a loss of mobility
- Changes in medication that lead to new side effects like drowsiness and dizziness
- A change in sleeping environments, such as changes in location, furniture, lighting, etc.
- Incontinence, which may lead to frequent trips out of bed during the night to go to the bathroom
- Sundown Syndrome, which is characterized by increased agitation, restlessness, disorientation, or confusion in the evening or the morning
- Vertigo, the leading cause of dizziness in seniors

These are only a few of the many factors that could cause someone to fall out of bed. However, falling out of bed isn’t the only fall danger presented in the bedroom. Below, we outline common causes of falls in the bedroom and ways these risks can be mitigated so you can be sure to get all of the beauty rest you need to stay looking young and fresh!

3 Main Causes of Bedroom Falls

Loss of Balance or Tripping

Rugs, clothes, and clutter combined with poor lightning at night contribute to tripping and losing balance

Transferring from the Bed

Loss of mobility and physical disabilities combined with mattresses low to the ground make it difficult to get up out of bed

Falling out of Bed at Night

Many physical or mental factors and even changes in sleeping environment can cause someone to fall out of bed while sleeping

Ways to Avoid Falling in the Bedroom

Loss of Balance or Tripping

- Remove all clutter from the room. Pick up clothes, shoes, or other items that may be on the floor and could cause someone to trip. Pay special attention that there are no electrical cords or wires running across the floor that could be a tripping hazard.
- Secure rugs to the floor. Adding slip-resistant backing to rugs and mats will prevent them from bunching and curling and even keep them in place.
- Add nightlights to all walkways. Getting up to go to the bathroom is a common symptom of aging. Improving the lighting of the bedroom at night can help the unaware and disoriented make it to the bathroom safely.
- Use a walker or rollator for support. Many older adults use beds, nightstands, dressers, and other bedroom furniture as stabilizers as they walk around the bedroom.

Transferring from the Bed

- Change the height of the bed. If the bed is to low and making it difficult to get in and out of bed, raise the height of the bed by using furniture risers. If furniture risers won’t work for you, consider purchasing a taller bed frame. Likewise, consider purchasing a lower bed if the height of the mattress makes it difficult to get into bed.
- Use a bed handle. Bed handles can serve multiple functions. They can help while in bed to reposition yourself or pull yourself up to a raised position. Bed handles like the Bedside Safety Handle or Mighty Rail also provide support to get up from the bed and transfer to a walker, rollator, or wheelchair.
- Install a transfer pole next to the bed. A transfer pole, like the Universal Floor to Ceiling Grab Bar, is a grab bar that can be placed in the middle of the room rather than being confined to a wall. When installed next to a bed, the Universal Floor to Ceiling Grab Bar allows users to pull themselves up out of bed.

Falling out of Bed at Night

- Install a bed rail on your bed. The Bedside Extend-A-Rail is the perfect solution to reduce night time falls out of bed. It extends in length to provide a longer safety railing during the night and a shorter rail handle to get out of bed during the day.
- Avoid over-reaching out of bed. Most everyone keeps a nightstand next to their bed with lamps, medications, books, remotes, and phones. Many falls out of bed are caused by over-extending ourselves while reaching to the bedside table. Most of Able Life’s bed rails come with an organizer pouch to make it easy to store necessary items by the bed without over-reaching.