There’s nothing quite like a good night’s sleep – especially when it’s a rarity.
People who take it for granted and sleep through the night have no idea what a treasure they possess. While sleep problems can happen at any time of life, they are more frequent with age.
Once upon a time, all it took was an absorbing bedtime story to send us into a deep sleep. There is some science behind that. We escaped into those stories and they switched off our minds from the ups and down of daily life. That’s the key to sleeping well.
The horrible things that lack of sleep can do to you
Sleep disorders are very common. The negative effects can spoil daily life as well as having some undesirable health downsides. In fact, you can have a really healthy lifestyle, eat well, take frequent exercise and see all that good work undermined by sleep deprivation.
Did you know that –
- You become less alert if you miss just 2 hours sleep or even less
- Your memory is not as good and you don’t do things or make decisions as efficiently as usual
- Your mood suffers and you become cranky, which can cause disruption and conflict in relationships
- Your social life suffers because you feel less energetic and don’t want to mix socially as you might usually do
- Your lifestyle quality suffers because you may not want to do your normal exercise or even care about your diet
- Your appearance suffers in time. You are familiar with the “bags under your eyes” effect that even a little sleep loss brings on. Prolonged sleep deprivation also causes premature skin ageing and noticeable wrinkles.
Long term sleep deprivation can cause unwanted things like a reduced sex drive, depression and obesity, and even harm your heart health and lead to high blood pressure.
You may also become a danger on the roads because your concertation can be severely affected. It’s called impaired cognitive performance and focus.
But enough of the bad news.
Let’s see what you can do about it and make sleepless nights a thing of the past.
The best remedies to get a good night’s sleep . . at last!
There are several recommended actions that keep cropping up in articles and expert websites about sleep. That means that they are very likely known to work for many people.
Here’s the thing – you need to try each and every one of them. It may be that some may not make enough of a difference by themselves, so do as many as possible. You have nothing to lose and a whole new life of great sleeps to gain.
- Make your bedroom your haven of sleep. You spend one third of your life there, so make it the best it can be for enticing great sleeps. Sinking into a deep sleep is greatly helped by soft, plumped up mattresses that you can gently ease down into them. That is so relaxing. Laying on a comfortable and medium mattress that is suitable for you is very important for a better sleep. It can reduce your anxiety or pain when you sleep and make you relax and sleep like a baby.
Brentwood Home Cedar Hybrid Mattress Highlights
Brand: Brentwood Home
Mattress Firmness: Medium/5
Mattress Construction Type: Latex and Pocketed coils
Mattress Thickness: 13″
Compatible for Bed Frame Size: Twin,Twin XL, Full, Full XL, Queen, King, Canifornia King
Mattress Sleep Trial Time: 120 nights
Warranty: 25 years Limited
Delivery: Free shipping and returns
Perfect For: Side, Back sleeper
Customer Rating: 4.9/5.0
Brooklyn Bedding Bloom Hybrid Mattress Highlights
Brand: Brooklyn Bedding
Mattress Firmness: Soft/3.5, Medium/5.5, Firm/7.5
Mattress Construction Type: Foam, Latex and Pocketed coils
Mattress Thickness: 12″
Compatible for Bed Frame Size: Twin,Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Canifornia King
Mattress Sleep Trial Time: 120 nights
Warranty: 10 years Limited
Delivery: Free shipping and returns
Perfect For: Side, Back, Stomach sleeper
Customer Rating: 4.7/5.0
Sleep Zzz Natures Novel Latex Mattress Highlights
Brand: Sleep Zzz
Mattress Firmness: Firm/7, Medium Soft/4
Mattress Construction Type: Latex
Mattress Thickness: 12″
Compatible for Bed Frame Size: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, California King
Mattress Sleep Trial Time: 100 nights
Warranty: Lifetime
Delivery: Free shipping and returns
Perfect For: Back sleeper
Customer Rating: 4.8/5.0
- You need it as dark as possible – really dark. Light is the enemy of sleep and darkness is nature’s way of telling our minds that it’s time for bed. Try using a sleep mask if total darkness is impossible to achieve.
- Remove all distractions. That means your cell phone, which beeps when you get an email or message, or your tablet. Just DO NOT TAKE THEM INTO THE BEDROOM.
- Set up a regular routine. Especially for older people, routine is good for body and soul. Going to bed at the same time each night is an important step forward. Taking 30 minutes to relax after switching off the TV is great preparation for sleep. Read a book. Don’t exercise within 2 hours of bedtime. Getting up at the same time is also a good discipline, even if you have several awakenings during the night.
- Restrict naps to 20 minutes. Napping is totally natural for seniors. If you feel tired, then lie down. But don’t nap for too long. Experts recommend about 20 minutes sleep time as being the optimum level that does not impact your night’s sleep too much.
These are just the basic steps. There are some weird and wonderful tips and tricks online that may work for some people and not for others. Put the basics in place first. Then try other ideas if needs be.
What about caffeine and blue light affecting your sleep?
Most everybody knows that caffeine perks you up and that it’s unwise to take it too close to bedtime. But that’s just a general rule of thumb. Some people can drink 2 or 3 cups of coffee in the evening and still enjoy a sound sleep.
In the same way, the “blue light” emitted by electronic devices like smartphones and tablets is said to stimulate the brain – exactly the opposite of what you want before sleeping. Yet, everybody is different. Some people appear to be totally unaffected by it at bedtime.
The core message is that everybody has different sleep requirements and sleep patterns. Unless you know for a fact that caffeine and blue light do not affect your sleep, then stay away from them late evening. Play safe.
The downside of sleep measurement apps
Apps for monitoring our health and fitness are all the rage. People who use them are very familiar with apps like FitBit that measure all kinds of data about our bodies.
That’s great for physical fitness but not so great for measuring how good your sleep is. The thing is that sleep is so very different for all of us and no app knows what’s right for you.
Doctors have been complaining about patients becoming obsessed with sleep data captured by these apps. If you must use one, be aware that only experts can truly measure your sleep data under controlled conditions.
It’s the old story . . a little knowledge is a dangerous thing
The takeaway from this guide is . .
Don’t become obsessed with your sleep patterns. If you genuinely believe you are suffering from not enough sleep then schedule an appointment with a physician. Medical advice may help to guide you better than you own analysis and diagnosis – especially if using sleep monitoring devices or apps.
Make sure that you have the basics in place, starting with a good mattress and soft, relaxing pillows in a properly darkened and peaceful bedroom. Get your nighttime routine down pat and stick to it. Don’t nap for too long during the day.
Do try all of the pointers we mentioned above, and allow enough time for each one to work its magic.
Above all, be relaxed about your sleep. Worrying about it only adds to any problems you may have.
Sweet dreams . . .
