Tips For Seniors To Get A More Restful Sleep

Whether you are traveling or just spending the night watching your grandchildren, there are many times when your sleep routines can be disrupted. In today’s guest post by McKenzie Dillon, she looks at some ways to insure your best night’s rest.

Tips For Seniors To Get A More Restful Sleep

You’ve certainly noticed changes in your body and other aspects of your life as you’ve gotten older, but you might not have been prepared for how aging was going to cause a noticeable impact in regards to your sleep quality. Feeling more tired earlier in the evening, constantly getting up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, or waking up with body aches are a few of the grievances you might be experiencing. You may even classify yourself now as a “light sleeper” when you’ve been able to sleep like a rock your entire life. Unfortunately, a lack of sleep can lead you down a rabbit hole of different health issues. 

According to the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, sleep deprivation has been linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and even premature death. Sleep is also crucial for memory retention, repairing muscle tissue, and strengthening your immune system. As such, if you aren’t getting the recommended 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep per night, it’s necessary you take the appropriate steps to identify the problem and change your regular sleep habits to ensure you’re happy, healthy, and sleeping soundly through the night.

Understand How Aging Affects Sleep

Most people start noticing a natural decline in sleep quality around the age of 60. Reason being as you age, your body produces less and less growth hormone, and directly affects the amount of time you spend in the deep sleep stage. You also produce less melatonin as you get older, the “sleep hormone” responsible for alerting your body when it’s time to wind down for bed. If you stack this on top of other sleep disrupting conditions like anxiety, arthritis and joint pain, or sleep apnea, you’ve got a recipe that likely won’t lead to a restful night of sleep.

Here are a few tips that seniors can try to get their sleep schedule back on track. 

Tip 1: Practice Healthy Sleep Habits   

Before hopping in bed for some shut-eye, it’s important to make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, and an ideal environment for sleeping. Light from electronic devices like your iPad, TV, alarm clock, and cellular device can mess with your circadian rhythm, making it tougher to fall asleep. The emanating blue light from your phone and iPad is also harmful for sleep, because it limits the production of melatonin in your body. Additionally, you want to make sure the temperature of your bedroom is comfortable, or your sleep could be disrupted due to you overheating or feeling too cold. Accordingly, before bed, make sure to:

• Unplug the electronics in your bedroom with light sources like your TV and alarm clock.
• No phone, iPad, or computer use in the hour, or hour and a half before bed.
• Run a fan or a heater so your bedroom temperature is around 67-73 degrees.

Tip 2: Incorporate A Regular Nighttime Routine

Incorporating a pre-sleep routine is a great way to relieve stress, and let your body know it’s time to wind down for bed. Designate a specific bedtime so you go to bed at the same time every night, and include any type of activity you find to be relaxing into your routine. Just make sure it doesn’t involve electronics or anything that’ll be too stimulating. Common nighttime activities include reading a book, taking a bath, meditation to help ease anxiety and stress, or light stretching. 

Tip 3: Sleep With More Cushion Or Pillows

If you have body aches or joint pain, sleeping with extra cushion might help ease the tension in those trouble spots. Side sleepers can sleep with a pillow between their knees, while back sleepers can place a pillow under their knees during the night to help relieve stress on the spine. You can also surround your neck and shoulder area with pillows for more comfort and support.

If you’re sleeping on a mattress you purchased back in the early 00s, it’s likely time for a new mattress. A sagging bed with body impressions can be a contributing factor to aches and pains. It can also force you to toss and turn during the night, making it impossible to get a full night’s rest. Consider getting a new pillow-top mattress or something soft and pressure relieving, that way you have the extra cushion you need and gentle comfort to help soothe body aches.

Tip 4: Be Mindful Of Diet And Exercise

While you should be watching what you’re eating at all times of the day, it’s especially pertinent before bed. Consuming certain foods and beverages before you fall asleep can cause indigestion, disrupt sleep, or prevent you from drifting off.

• Sugary foods can make it harder to fall into a deep sleep as it disturbs your sleep stages.
• Alcohol before bed might make you feel tired, but it’s really disruptive to sleep.
• Avoid spicy food before bed or you risk getting a stomach ache or indigestion. 
• Try to consume less liquid an hour and a half before bed so you don’t get up to use the restroom as frequently. 
• Stay away from caffeine in the afternoon. 

Now, let’s discuss exercise. We tend to be less active as we get older, and a sedentary lifestyle is one of the major culprits behind the lack of sleep. Exercise during the day causes your body to feel more tired when night rolls around, and it releases certain chemicals that make it easier to fall asleep. For those of you who are handicapped or struggle with mobility, there are less demanding exercises you can do that’ll still promote a good night’s sleep. You can sign up for water aerobics, go dancing, golf, bocce ball, or go for daily walks — just to name a few. 

Tip 5: Consult Your Doctor 

If your efforts to get enough sleep doesn’t improve, it may be time to consult a doctor. It’s possible you could be struggling with a common sleep disorder like sleep apnea, and a medical professional could get you set up with a CPAP machine that provides you with a constant supply of air pressure throughout the night.

You may also be dealing with a case of insomnia, and in that case a doctor can refer you to a cognitive behavioral therapist who will assess your symptoms and provide some form of treatment. One of the most common treatments is psychotherapy, where you learn different ways to cope with the negative thoughts that are keeping you awake at night.

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