For caregivers, late nights and early mornings can be common and sleep is often a precious commodity.
Likewise, the burdens you face may leave you staring at the ceiling when you actually do get a chance to turn in. It’s not surprising, therefore, that many caregivers experience sleep difficulties and naturally look for different ways to reclaim the rest they so dearly need. Sadly, some common strategies we turn to when chasing sleep can do more harm than good.
~Read on, by Sacha Carr.
Taking over-the-counter sleep aids.
The most popular drugstore medications like Nyquil, Unisom, and pain relievers with “PM” on the end of their name are all sedating Sleep Mistakes Revealed - The top 5 things you may be using to try to sleep that do more harm than good antihistamines. Like alcohol, many of them will interfere with your sleep in the early morning hours. Likewise, using either alcohol or sedating antihistamines long-term can lead to tolerance, meaning that their ability to help you fall asleep diminishes over time. As a result they can actually make even falling asleep more difficult in the long run.
Aside from the sleep boosts of exercising earlier in the day, reading a relaxing book in the later hours instead of watching TV, and doing your best to get to bed at a reasonable time, try creating a regular bedtime routine. It needn’t be long, and could include things like a quick bath or shower, applying an aromatherapy body lotion, or reading from a book of meditations. Whatever you choose, making it a nightly ritual will help condition your body and mind to settle down for the night.
Likewise, the burdens you face may leave you staring at the ceiling when you actually do get a chance to turn in. It’s not surprising, therefore, that many caregivers experience sleep difficulties and naturally look for different ways to reclaim the rest they so dearly need. Sadly, some common strategies we turn to when chasing sleep can do more harm than good.
~Read on, by Sacha Carr.
Taking over-the-counter sleep aids.
The most popular drugstore medications like Nyquil, Unisom, and pain relievers with “PM” on the end of their name are all sedating Sleep Mistakes Revealed - The top 5 things you may be using to try to sleep that do more harm than good antihistamines. Like alcohol, many of them will interfere with your sleep in the early morning hours. Likewise, using either alcohol or sedating antihistamines long-term can lead to tolerance, meaning that their ability to help you fall asleep diminishes over time. As a result they can actually make even falling asleep more difficult in the long run.
Aside from the sleep boosts of exercising earlier in the day, reading a relaxing book in the later hours instead of watching TV, and doing your best to get to bed at a reasonable time, try creating a regular bedtime routine. It needn’t be long, and could include things like a quick bath or shower, applying an aromatherapy body lotion, or reading from a book of meditations. Whatever you choose, making it a nightly ritual will help condition your body and mind to settle down for the night.
No comments:
Post a Comment