Benefits of a Good Night’s Sleep
Benefits of a Good Night’s Sleep
For most of us, a poor night’s sleep can mean irritability and fogginess the next day. But long-term sleep deprivation can have more serious effects, including memory problems and depression.Insufficient sleep is an important issue for seniors, who sleep more lightly and for shorter time spans, whether as a normal part of aging or from medical problems common in older people. Chronic pain from conditions such as arthritis or back problems can keep us up at night, as does the need to use the bathroom if we suffer from bladder or prostate problems. As we age, we might take more prescription drugs that interfere with our sleep patterns. AARP’s 2016 sleep and brain health survey found that 43 percent of adults age 50-plus say they don’t get enough sleep.A new report from AARP’s Global Council on Brain Health found that “chronic inadequate sleep puts people at higher risk for dementia, depression, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, fall-related injuries and cancer.” The council recommended that healthcare professionals take patients’ concerns about lack of sleep more seriously.
Relief for Insomnia
If your inability to sleep well isn’t from primary insomnia, there are many simple actions you can take to get some good shut-eye:Adhere to a schedule. Go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time. Your body adjusts to this cycle, so when you change it, your cycle is disturbed.Take a break. If you’re tossing and turning, get up and do something different, like reading or listening to music, until you feel sleepy. If something is on your mind, write it down, so you get it out of your thoughts.Exercise. Twenty to 30 minutes of exercise a day can help you sleep, but working out too close to your bedtime can be stimulating. Experts recommend a 5- to 6-hour gap between sleep and exercise. Similarly, don’t eat too close to bedtime.Avoid stimulants. Having coffee, nicotine or alcohol before you go to bed is guaranteed to prevent sleep. Although alcohol will make you initially drowsy, it interferes with deep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is needed for learning.Seek out the sun. Get as much sunlight during the day as possible, while minimizing light at night. This helps your body stay on its inner clock.Take medication. Your doctor can prescribe drugs that will help you sleep, if other less invasive methods don’t work. However, physicians don’t recommend taking sleeping pills on a long-term basis, and the pills’ side effects can be harmful for older people.A non-prescription alternative is melatonin, a hormone that the brain naturally produces in response to darkness. Melatonin pills create the same sleepy response as the natural hormone, but medical experts warn that taking too much melatonin or taking it for too long can disrupt your sleep cycle. Doctors recommend 1 to 5 milligrams an hour before bed.Society of Certified Senior Advisors Blog (http://blog.csa.us/2017/03/benefits-of-good-nights-sleep.html)Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net