Good sleep is a blessing and also crucial for a healthy life. It is said that adults need anywhere around 8 to 10 hours of sleep every day, for a healthy life. As we age, however, our biological clock undergoes certain changes, and sleep does take a beating. Many issues affect our sleep like illnesses, pain, frequent urination, stress, or anxiety, other disturbances, etc. Even without any of these issues, many seniors complain about not getting good or enough sleep. And as a result, it is common that people doze off during the day when they are not supposed to.
It is essential to follow a few steps to try and get some good sleep, and it has been observed that few tips certainly help with this. Here are a few things that can be tried for a good night’s sleep.
Stay active
An important aspect of getting good sleep is to ensure that the body gets some good regular exercise. The more lethargic we become, the more difficult it is to get a good sleep in the night. Staying active helps to get you tired enough to want to rest and fall asleep easily in the night. Try to find activities to keep you busy throughout the day, and follow this routine.
Avoid afternoon naps
While it is good to have a ‘power nap’ or a ‘cat nap,’ it is not good to have a long afternoon nap. This can easily interfere with your night sleep. Try to limit your daytime naps and this can boost your night’s sleep for sure.
Avoid consumption of certain things
Consumption of certain items like caffeine, alcohol, or tobacco, can also affect your sleep. Caffeine consumption should be limited to the mornings, and alcohol and nicotine should be avoided to the extent possible. These are harmful to your health as well as your sleep. They are stimulants that can adversely affect you.
Follow a routine
It is important to follow a routine and stick to it almost every day. There should be a regular early wake-up time, even if you don’t have to go to the office, etc. A morning walk, any yoga asanas or exercise after getting up is good. It stimulates your mind positively. This can be followed by breakfast at the same time every day, and then lunch.
A small post-lunch nap, or watching TV, can be followed by some healthy snacks with a tea, and early and light dinner is good. This helps your body to digest the food by the time you sleep. Then the body is relaxed, and will easily fall asleep, without any disturbances. You may have a glass of warm milk at night, as that can help with the sleep as well.
Avoid devices
For about an hour or two before sleep, please avoid staring at screens or devices like TV, mobiles, or laptops, as that can affect your sleep. This kindles your brain into an active mode, and it takes some time for the brain to get relaxed again.
Warm shower
Having a warm shower at night, especially if you have body pains and aches, can help your body feel relaxed and better. When the body is relaxed, it also helps your mind to relax and enables you to fall asleep faster.
Calm your mind
It is important to put your mind at ease to feel relaxed and fall asleep fast. If you have any worries or anxiety, you could try some meditation before sleeping. Even doing some mild stretches or simple yoga poses, is also good to help you fall asleep.
Shut the disturbances
If others in the house are up and around and are watching TV, etc. make sure to pull your door to ensure you are not disturbed by the sound. Also, pull your screens and have soft, and fresh, comfortable bedspreads and pillow to ensure that you feel comfortable in bed. If you feel comfortable reading in bed, then you may do so.
