sleep Archives - Senior Care Central

Guest Blog: 5 Helpful Tips to Get Better Sleep at Night for Older People

A good night’s sleep is a cure for many physical and emotional ailments for everyone. It is vital for older people also to get deep sleep for 7-8 hours every night. They fell asleep early but wake up early too. As you get older, you generally start suffering from some illness, side effects of medicines, pain, or insomnia. These factors contribute to sleeplessness at night and waking up early. Lack of sleep can cause serious issues like depression, irritation, concentration loss, and memory loss.

Canadian Sleep Society surveyed senior citizens – they found out that 70% of older people face insomnia. Looking at the magnitude of this problem, we bring you 5 helpful tips to sleep better at night.

Create an Environment for Sleep

It’s all about how you create the right sleeping environment. There are a few things that will make your bedroom more cosy and comforting. Switch off maximum lights. Keep the room temperature to a lower level. Keep your surroundings as quiet as possible. Sound, bright light, and warm temperature hampers sleep quality.

Don’t try to stay awake because you want to watch a game or party. These habits can prove to be costly. Don’t rely on sleeping pills for sleeping. And no scrolling or checking notifications on the phone before an hour of bedtime.

Let’s Talk About Fabric

The fabric you surround yourself with while sleeping plays a vital role in your sleep quality. Wear loose nightclothes. Use fabric like cotton and other skin-friendly fabrics. You should feel comfortable while sleeping. The fabric of bed sheets and pillows should also be of natural materials that don’t irritate you.

Some of the wise choices are copper bed sheets and pillowcases. They are soft and contain antimicrobial properties. They are hygienic and safe as they are anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-odour, etc. One more advantage of using copper-bedding and pillows is that they come with a self-cleaning feature.

The Golden Health Rule: Diet & Exercise

A diet high in sugar and carbs will hamper your sleep, mostly if you eat them for dinner. White bread, rice, and pasta should ideally not be on your plate. Caffeine is also not a sleep-friendly drink. Avoid caffeinated beverages in the evening times.

Exercise regularly! It produces chemicals and hormones in your body, which induces sleep. But make sure you exercise at least 3-4 hours before your bedtime. Otherwise rise in your body temperature will make it difficult to sleep.

Follow One Schedules

Going to bed at the same time and in the same place helps to fall asleep quickly. Changing sleep timing frequently sends confusing signals to your body. Making some good habits as your pre-sleep routine will enhance your sleep quality.

Reading and listening to music are examples of relaxing things to do before going to sleep. On the other hand, watching TV, drinking alcohol, and heated arguments before bedtime will mess up your ability to fall asleep.

Preserve Your Peace of Mind

It is naturally challenging to fall asleep if you are stressed or feeling anxious. Thus it would help if you learned to manage your emotions well. Worrying about sleep will only keep you awake at night. Develop the ability to keep all your disturbing thoughts aside before bedtime. Try breathing exercises and meditation.

Conclusion

The tips mentioned above are proven for improving sleep quality. Try implementing them if you are facing a problem falling asleep. If you can’t see improvement, consult your trusted physician. They can help you if you have insomnia or any other health condition.

Author Bio:

Rory is the R&D Director and passionate entrepreneur, fascinated by the workings of the human body and natural solutions for common health problems. He’s single-minded in his aim to make Copper Defence a brand that’s recognized across the globe, by partnering with global brands to make these high-tech materials easily accessible for everyone. If you’d like to get in touch, email Rory at Rory@copperclothing.com or visit copperclothing.com for copper-infused clothing, pet accessories and more.

How Sleeping Incorrectly Can Affect Your Pain

When you think about your sleep, you typically think about a period of restoration and rejuvenation. Your sleep is supposed to be the time your mind and body have an opportunity to rest and repair for the next day.

What most people don’t know is that you could be sleeping incorrectly and making your pain worse instead of better.

How you could be sleeping incorrectly

You may not realize there’s a specific technique to the way you sleep. Besides, you’ve been sleeping all of your life. How could you possibly be doing it wrong?

One of the most important factors to your sleep, especially when you’re dealing with aches and pains, is your sleeping posture. Most sleepers sleep on their sides, and this can cause a lot of complications. For one thing, half of your body is crushed under the weight of the other half of your body. This can specifically target your pain points, so you’ll wake up with soreness in your shoulders, hips, and knees.

It’s not only sleeping on your side that can amplify your pain. Stomach sleepers are in an even worse position, putting undue stress on their lower backs all throughout the night, especially with thicker pillows that raise your neck up even higher.

You probably knew your sitting posture was important for your neck and back pain, but keeping proper posture while unconscious is a little more challenging to account for. Here’s how you can work on it.

What you can do to correct your sleep

If you’re a stomach sleeper, you should probably work on trying to get comfortable in other positions. It takes some time to adjust to sleeping in a new position, but it is possible to make a change. If possible, try to adjust to becoming a back sleeper. This is the best position for maintaining spinal alignment and decreasing your chances of waking up in pain.

If you’re absolutely committed to stomach or side sleeping, there are ways you can fix your technique. As a stomach sleeper, sleep with less, or no, pillows to eliminate the arching up that causes lower back pain. As a side sleeper, try to keep your body elongated rather than curled into the fetal position. This can help reduce morning pains (and snoring, too).

Author’s bio: Laurie Larson is a writer based in NC who writes on health topics.