As you get older, it’s normal to start experiencing a change in your sleeping patterns. This means occasionally waking up in the dead of night or left tossing and turning in your bed. The main reason for this usually is experiencing some physical discomfort, such as joint aches or the need to use the bathroom. Going through this can be a significant cause of concern as you’re left wondering whether there’s something wrong with your overall wellbeing.
Fortunately, dealing with insomnia and other sleep-related issues is something you can still address even as you get older. If this is what you’re looking to achieve, here’s an exhaustive post on valuable tips to help overcome sleep-related issues and experience an improvement in your emotional and physical health.
1. Limit Daytime Nap
Taking a short power nap is undoubtedly an effective technique for boosting your overall productivity during the day. Thus, you might not see that taking a nap has any harm to your body and instead helps relieve it from fatigue. However, this isn’t the case, as taking naps in the mid-afternoon affects your nighttime sleep routine as it confuses your body’s internal clock. As a result, it becomes a lot more challenging to fall asleep during the night.
Therefore, it’s best to cut down or stop napping altogether to avoid any disruption to your sleep schedule, thereby affecting the quality of your sleep.
2. Get Comfortable Bedding
Have you ever wondered why you enjoy better sleep while in the hotel? If so, you’ll be surprised to know one of the main reasons for this is the comfortable pillow such as a Buckwheat pillow, bed and mattress. Knowing this, you need to invest in a quality and comfy mattress and pillow regardless of whether you prefer a firm or soft one.
Having the right bed allows you to adjust it to the most comfortable position. Thanks to this, you can change your sleeping position that doesn’t cause your body to experience muscle or joint aches that hinder you from enjoying a relaxing and calming sleep. You also shouldn’t overlook the importance of the pillow in helping you remain asleep during the night. When deciding which is the ideal pillow, you should consider your favored sleeping position before buying a Sobakawa Pillow. If you usually sleep on your back, invest in a thinner pillow, unlike side sleepers, to avoid causing stress to your neck. But if you’re a side sleeper, then make sure to invest in a comfy pillow that guarantees the comfort of your neck, head, and shoulder throughout the night.
3. Have A Set Sleep Schedule
An adult is required to sleep for between seven to nine hours each day for optimal productivity. But this isn’t achievable the more you age, and it’s for this reason you need to have a set bedtime routine. While this is usually associated with small kids, sticking to a sleep schedule will help you in the long run to address any sleep-related problems such as insomnia.
With a routine sleep schedule, you’ll be sleeping and waking up at the same time each morning, even during the weekend. Doing this assists you set the internal clock of your body with ease, thereby have a much easier time sleeping and waking up.
However, setting and sticking to a sleep schedule isn’t that straightforward, and you’ll experience several challenges. This includes deciding what’s the ideal time to wake up without feeling any discomfort. You also need to factor in the amount of time you’ll spend in bed before falling asleep, which ranges between 15 to 20 minutes. But once your body adjusts to this schedule, you’ll start enjoying better quality sleep despite your old age as you’re in sync at all times with the body’s circadian clock.
4. Avoid Caffeine Later In The Day
A considerable percentage of the population worldwide use caffeine due to its different benefits, including increased energy levels, improved focus, and better sports performance. But as you get older, it’s best to keep away from caffeine later during the day as it stays in the system for between four to six hours. It’s easy to assume caffeine can only be found in coffee, but this isn’t the case as other drinks contain this stimulating substance. These other caffeinated products include energy drinks, chocolate, and tea. The same applies to tobacco products as they also have a stimulating effect that can make it hard for you to fall asleep.
5. De-Stress
Stress has become a significant concern in today’s society either due to pressures while at work, financial issues, or family-related problems. All these concerns can hinder you from getting enough sleep and keep you awake late into the night. This is an issue you need to address by putting in place a stress management system. You don’t have to complicate this at first and instead start by simple basic things such as delegating duties, setting your priorities, and being more organized.
Other techniques you can also employ to reduce your stress levels include doing some gentle yoga poses before going to bed. These movements will help ease your mind of any concerns, hence feel less tense and more relaxed. As a result, you’ll have an easier time falling and remaining asleep the entire night. Likewise, taking a warm shower or bath one or two hours before bedtime to relax your mind and body effectively reduces your stress.
6. Exercise
Working out is now being emphasized more than ever due to the increased sedentary lifestyle of most individuals nowadays. This then impacts how easy it is for you to fall asleep at night. You need to prevent this by setting aside some time during the day to do a full-body workout aimed at burning some calories. This shouldn’t be too intense, as even a ten-minute walk around your neighborhood is enough to burn up some calories and make you worn out to have an easier time dozing off.
Nonetheless, it would be best if you didn’t exercise very late in the day as this might have a counterproductive effect of making it harder to fall asleep. This usually happens because exercise stimulates your body, producing hormones such as adrenaline and epinephrine that make you more alert.
Takeaway
Having enough rest is integral to the body as it helps refresh your immune system, repair destroyed cells, and improve memory formation as well as concentration. Therefore, getting enough quality sleep needs to be one of your primary goals even as you get old. This way, you safeguard yourself from chronic health conditions such as diabetes, breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, and weight-related issues. If you didn’t know what to do, discussed above are valuable ideas on how to enjoy a restful night’s sleep still even as you age.
