One of the simplest (and cheapest) joys is waking after a good night’s sleep. Feeling restored and ready to take on the day is the way every morning should start. If only.
Sleep Challenges
There are a lot of reasons we all have difficulty achieving this feeling daily. Here’s a quick list of some of them:
- Age related sleep changes
- Technology
- Staying up too late
- Temperature
- Light
- Noise
- Irregular sleep schedule
- Bad mattress
- Medications
- Stress/Anxiety
Personal Sleep Story
A few years ago I was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea and the treatment is a APAP (automatic positive airway pressure) machine. It’s made a big difference in terms of my sleep quantity and quality.
After three months of treatment, I felt like my old self again. I don’t like the hassle of carrying it while traveling but even more don’t want to sleep without it.
For the most part I now fall asleep at bedtime and stay in dreamland all night. Occasionally, one of those factors listed above interferes and I struggle to get a good night’s sleep.
Strategies for Better Sleep
There are a few things I do proactively to help me sleep better.
- Take melatonin. As we age, our melatonin production decreases naturally which is why my husband and I both take a melatonin supplement each night. My doctor recommended time-release dosage to tackle my issue of waking and having difficulty getting back to sleep at night.
- Supplement with Magnesium. I started taking magnesium for leg cramps (works great by the way) and then learned it also helps with sleep and should be taken in the evening for this reason. Now, my husband is taking it and it’s helped him too.
- Regular Bedtime. We have a regular bedtime that doesn’t vary more than an hour at home. The problem is traveling to other time zones takes a few days for me to adjust.
- Don’t Fight It. On those nights, I can’t get back to sleep I now just get up and read. Oftentimes, this relaxes me enough to catch some more shut-eye. If it doesn’t, at least I’ve done something instead of toss and turn while getting more and more upset about the situation.
Do you have a sleep tip?
Check out other Wellness Wednesday posts about Sleep Hygiene here.
Hello KayLynn. Sleep is crucial to many aspects of our health. One of the tips I hear a lot is to turn off electronic devices (televisions, phones, eBooks, etc.) at least an hour before bedtime. Evidently the light waves are confusing to our brains and keep them from going into sleep mode. (That’s my very unscientific explanation!)
Christie Hawkes recently posted…Guest post on Inspire My Style
Christie, that’s a great tip and where I don’t quite make an hour but at least 30 minutes most evenings. We try to read physical books for a half hour before turning the lights out.
Thanks for stopping by!
So glad you joined us for #WellnessWednesday! My best friend’s husband uses a sleep apnea device but I had no idea what it was. Looked it up after reading this post. That is quite the device! But if it brings restful sleep, then hallelujah. Have you had to learn to sleep on your back or were you already a back sleeper?
I take melatonin but have begun trying to wean myself off of depending on it every single night. The dreams I have while on it are so involved and vivid that I often wake up feeling worn out from my crazy dreams!
I need to follow your good advice and just get up on those nights when I roll around more than about 15 minutes trying to fall asleep. A few minutes of reading or writing or tending to a small chore is usually enough to get me sleepy again and to turn off my brain!
Would like to invite you to join us for a fall bucket list post that we will share on 09.21. Your list can be as extensive or simple as you like. Bucket lists are such a great way to stretch us and introduce us to new experiences and activities. We will do an update on our progress on 10.21 and 11.21. Please email me if you are interested in receiving the link-up code and optional graphic.
Leslie Susan Clingan recently posted…Comparing Style Services: Fashom, Stitch Fix & GYPO
Thank you so much for the warm welcome! I still sleep on my side (or stomach) with the cpap which of course leads to nice impressions on my skin when I wake from the straps but they go away. 🙂
An email is on it’s way to you!