BETTER SLEEP TIPS: The Hot Round-up of the Web Link Suggestions!

I first published this article back in 2011. The baby I talked about just turned 10. But, in the matter of sleep, not much has changed. I received a request for a backlink to some current information so I thought I would repost the article.

Best quote ever: "Put sleep in the background of your life. Don't monitor it, don't evaluate it."

My son and daughter-in-law spent the week retraining their 1 year old to sleep through the night. They have spent on year nurturing this little person because of health issues at birth. After a year, it became apparent that the baby had played his "no sleep card" one too many times. After a week of training he slept through the night... like a baby! This is the one thing that babies have in common with seniors...both age groups are delicate sleeper.

Now I read that we can retrain ourselves to get a better nights sleep, even as we get older. Yesterday I talked about the Memory Foam Mattress and how the mattress we are sleeping on can be the real culprit. Sleeplessness leads to a sluggish next day and could even make us less affective on the job. All the information I read about sleeplessness mentioned the mattress and it's importance in a good nights sleep. Whether it be the Memory Foam Mattress or another, mattress getting the one that works for you can be the key. Sleep is important!

Beyond the mattress issue, there are other things that can keep us awake at night. It is a given that stress, worry, medications and health problems can interrupt sleep patterns. The trick is to find a way to sleep in spite of those things or to change our lives to eliminate problem issues. There are a few common suggestions from people that study sleep problems and most of them, surprisingly involve what we do before we go to bed.
BETTER SLEEP TIPS...a round up from the web!

• NAPS Napping for a long time during the day will keep you from sleeping. If you need a nap limit the time. 
• EXERCISE You are going to need to get up and move. Do what is appropriate for you age...walk, run, swim, work...just get up off the couch, leave the TV or book or handwork and get up and move. You will feel better and you will sleep better. 
• FORBIDDEN FOOD Do not drink bad stuff before you go to bed. On the list of "forbidden" foods and drink are: alcohol, coffee, tea, colas, heavy meals less than 2 hours before, tobacco, and lots of water. We need to go to bed satisfied but not over watered and fed. If you drink alcohol at bedtime you will actually have a "withdrawal" that will awaken you during the night. 
• Good FOOD Stick to foods that contain high levels of tryptophan, such as milk, turkey, yogurt, ice cream, soy beans, tuna, and peanuts in the evening. Tryptophan helps the body produce serotonin in order to relax. (wikiHow.com/Better-Sleep) I know that a tablespoon of peanut butter will make me sleepy. 
• CIRCADIAN RHYTHM If you do not know how much sleep you actually need to feel good the next day FIND OUT NOW! Some of us sleep long hours and other need very little sleep. It is called the circadian rhythm or 24-hour cycle. As we age our sleep patterns change and worrying that you are sleeping more or less than you did when you were 20 does not help. 
• ROUTINE Once you have done this, establish a routine and make an effort to maintain it. Going to bed and getting up at nearly the same time every day gets your body and mind in the sleep habit. Psychology Today says ordinary insomnia may be cured simply by going to bed one hour later for a few nights, even though you may get drowsy. After that period of time add a little sleep back each night returning slowly to the normal routine. (And for heaven's sake don't drive when you are drowsy!) Like that grandson of mine...we may need to retrain ourselves to sleep. 
• BATTLE EVENING DROWSINESS Get up and move...again. I think that if you eliminate alcohol and eat a reasonably sized meal you find that you are less drowsy. 
• BEDROOM ENVIRONMENT The bedroom should be a sanctuary. Tune life down at bed time. Lower the lights, turn off the TV, meditate or listen to soft music. Keep the bedroom quiet, dark and cool...cool, I think is the key here. My experience is that getting a little chilled and then climbing into a warm bed leads to a very good night sleep. 
• LINE UP YOUR BODY Some people promote the idea that lining up our body is important. For many this is like teaching an old dog new tricks. A sleep position habit could be hard to break. Sleep on you back or side with your head lined up with your spine. Putting a pillow between the knees keeps the hips in line. Putting the pillow under you knees when sleeping on your back, eases back pain. I actually do all of the these things and they do help. I also think that sleeping at least part of the night on my back has improved my posture. Slumping over all day AND all night does not make for a straight back. 
• THE MATTRESS Every link I visited in my research mentioned the mattress...they say get a good mattress and take good care of it. It is just common sense. 
• SLEEP AIDS? Only one website mentioned sleep aids. Melatonin, antihistamine and tryptophan pills were all on the list. However, I would like to think that we could do this without a pill. 
• WHEN TO SEE THE DOCTOR If you suffer from restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, acid reflux or any other disorder that disrupts your sleep, go to the doctor. Many of these disorders are very dangerous and may even cost you your life. 
• DON'T THINK ABOUT IT Psychology Today suggests that we "put sleep in the background of [our] life. Don't monitor it, don't evaluate it." Could it be possible that we think too much...especially at bedtime. I think so and so do the experts. Quit thinking and don't go searching around in your mind for solutions to problems at bedtime. I have never had a doctor tell me to quit thinking but it just makes good sense. If you know you need to do something in the morning and are worried you will forget WRITE IT DOWN AND FORGET IT. 

Of all the websites I visited, I felt that Psychology Today had the best strategies for curing a bout of insomnia. Hop on over there and read what they had to say. The article was called Your Guide to a Better Nights Sleep.

Sleep well.
b

Resources:

Help Guide How to Sleep Better
Psychology Today Your Guide to Better Sleep
WebMD How to Sleep Better
wikiHow How to Sleep Better
Mayo Clinic 10 Tips for Better Sleep

BETTER SLEEP TIPS: The Hot Round-up of the Web Link Suggestions!

Related articles
Circadian Rhythm and Blues: The Interface of Depression with Sleep and Dreams (psychologytoday.com)
Say Goodbye to Insomnia (psychologytoday.com)
Best Medical and Non-Medical Insomnia Cures (healthadel.com)
Heeding the Body's Basic Rhythms (psychologytoday.com)

4 Reason's Why You CANNOT Sleep? Or are you sleeping on the wrong side of the bed?

I was wrong...again.

I wrote this blog post in 2010 but I am updating it NOW. It turns out we were not right about sleeping on the wrong side of the bed. We were wrong about that new mattress we bought at Costco. See, those mattresses have only one sleepable side and the edges roll off on all sides. Once I measured the part we could actually sleep on I realized we lost a full 8 inches to a big slope. We returned the mattress, bought a king sized mattress. Now we both sleep a lot better no matter what side of the bed we are on. Anyway, here is that old article. The ideas here are still valid and ones that I have encorporated into my routine.

A place to relax and read before bedtime!

MARRIED PEOPLE, THE BEDTIME ROUTINE AND SLEEP
I write a blog about staying active as you age...remain flexible, I tell my readers, don't get stuck in a rut and refuse to try new things.  We should at least try to change our routines occasionally.  My thinking is that, just like our joints, our minds get stiff if we don't make it moving.

So, being the person with all the bright ideas, I suggested that my husband and I switch sides of the bed.  I would sleep on the right side and my husband on the left.  We needed to change things up...remain flexible...learn to love change!  It was the principle of the thing not the bad or good of it.  My husband is always up for a challenge so we did it...last October.  It was a nightmare.  He felt like he was falling off the bed and I slept with my knees in his face.  And we did it for three months.  Our sleep quality fell like a  boulder off a cliff but neither one of us would admit that it was a problem...for us.  It was his/my fault that the bed seemed really small and that we both wanted to sleep in the middle of the bed!  If the other person would just straighten up and sleep in the right place the problem would be solved.

Then I folded...we need to talk  I said.  I cannot go on like this.  Even though I know it was my idea, I was wrong.  Can I please, please, please have my side of the bed back?  My husband did not give in the first night but then, when I went to bed last night, there he was back on his own side of the bed.  We both slept like we had not slept for 3 months.  It was wonderful.

COMPUTERS AND SLEEP

Changing the bedtime routine is not the only thing that can interfere with our sleep.  It turns out that there may be a relationship between our bedtime computer use and what our brains thinks about sleeping.  The light generated by the computer screen or the ipad can fool our brains into thinking that the sun is up and interfere with brain waves.  Researchers at Northwestern University are saying that computer use right before bedtime may "delay your ability to sleep".  Phyllis Zee, a neuroscience professor at Northwestern University and director of the school's Center for Sleep & Circadian Biology said:

"...it could also be sufficient to affect your circadian rhythm. This is the clock in your brain that determines when you sleep and when you wake up."  John D. Sutter, CNN

NAPS VS NIGHT TIME SLEEP
As we grow older, we have both the time and the inclination to want a nap...I love a good nap better than chocolate.  But the dilemma is whether this makes sleeping more difficult when we go to bed.  Like all the other wicked pleasures we enjoy, it turns out that too much of a good thing is not a good thing at all.  Sleeping all afternoon can lead to a bad nights sleep which leads to the need for a long nap...an so the cycle goes.  I personally find that I sleep more when I am inactive or even (dare I say it) bored!  The trick is to keep active and busy.  If I do these things I never think about a long nap.  If I do take a nap I try to set a mental alarm that only lets me sleep for a short while.  When all those things do not work I just try to do better the next day.

The thing we need to remember is what our body needs in the way of sleep to function at a high level.  A short nap during the day can actually help us stay active longer.  Slogging through the evening feeling exhausted is not productive and certainly not pleasant.  

OBSESSING OVER LOST SLEEP
I don't know if we can control what we think about or even talk about as we get older.  I would hope that if you find every conversation beginning with some ailment or tale of woe, you could somehow re-train yourself to not do that.  I know it gets much harder as we age.  Training ourselves not to obsess over small things like a little lost sleep is good.  We all know that obsessing over anything can be a problem.   I have also learned that a lost night's sleep is not really important...I don't feel much different either way.  So it seems that the trick is not obsessing about a good nights sleep or the lack of it.  What I do is simply never talk about it.  That works for me.

SLEEP...A PILL OR PEANUT BUTTER
I don't remember if I told you this or not but I saw an article the other day that listed peanut butter as a sleep aid!  You heard me right...peanut butter.  It seem that peanut butter has a chemical in it that promotes sleep.  Here is the funny thing...I eat a tablespoon of peanut butter when I could not fall asleep and have done so for several years.  I was actually surprised that there was a scientific reason it worked...I thought it was just a trick I played on my mind!

So I have come to these four conclusions regarding sleep and me:

1. I probably have always slept on the same side of the bed from the time I was a child.  I should not try to change that now.
2. A good book is probably better before I go to sleep than spending time on the computer.
3. All naps are good...if they are kept short. I feel better in the evening
4. Obsessing and talking about how I sleep may keep me awake at night. And I know that no one is really interesting in hearing me talk about it.

I am interested in what your idea might be for restful sleep....leave a comment with your ideas.

b
 

Retirement: Do you get so rested that you cannot sleep?

I have had so much fun this week reading other people's blogs. They have inspired me to talk about things I have on my mind all of the time. This morning Eileen Hopkins of Boomer Pot of Gold woke up very early (3 am) and wrote a post about the beautiful sunrise and birdsong. I could see her world in my minds eye.

Eileen is newly retired and just beginning the journey called retirement. Her days are filled with relief from the worry of a job that filled her day from dawn to dusk. I know how she feels. Even the part about waking in the middle of the night rings a very clear and nagging signal of what retirement holds for me. I suspect that most people have had the nagging experience.

The fact is a job just keeps our minds and bodies so busy that exhaustion set in and sleep is the only respite we have from that world. I know people that fall into bed each night and are asleep immediately. They will even nap on weekends. Sleep is a treasure to be pulled out when the world simply gets too hectic.

A walk with grandchild is
the perfect exercise. I do sleep
like a log after a day of
grandchildren!

Then we retire and slow down. For a while sleep is our friend...something we just never got enough of when we worked. Then slowly and surely sleep will come at odd hours...in the afternoon, for two hours at bedtime or maybe not at all. It ceases to be a respite and becomes a problem. Why? Well, the fact of the matter is we do need to work to stay healthy. Surprise!

Now, I am not talking about a 9-5 jobs. I am simply talking about moving, exercising getting up out of the chair and not setting back down until one feels a real need. It is a trade off in my world. If I want to sleep sound without any trouble I really just need to "work" at something that requires me to move about.

I am not an expert on sleep. There are studies and clinics and medications. As for me I find that when I am inactive, my mind has too much time to get busy thinking about stuff, I cannot sleep. Once the whirling begins inside my head it is very hard to it turn off.

I loved that Eileen enjoyed the sunrise...it truly is a gift each and every day. But as for me, I prefer to let it pass most days. Sleep is my friend.

Now I am going for a walk.

Just a thought!

b+

You might also enjoy a post I wrote in 2012: Why Are You Getting Old The Two Year Old Asked!

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"Why are you getting old?" the two year old asked.

+I think I have told you before that my grandchildren do not know how old I am.  The little ones think I am just like them and the older ones think I am decrepit. I don't know why but there you have it!

The two little grandsons spent the night with us last night so we had fun walking, talking, reading, coloring, playing and sleeping. Going to bed is always hard but we manage to get the job done every time they come. I suppose children will sleep eventually no matter what we do. I really don't say much because I have learned sleep doesn't always appear at the door when I want it to.

However, I want to take control of the getting up part. It is not any easier than the going to sleep part but I am always hopeful.  See I am not an early riser...not even a little bit. I told the boys last night that I wanted them to stay in bed, sleep in, let grandma sleep as long as they could.

They looked at me in stunned silence and the two year old piped up the usual question.

"Why?"
"Grandma need to get her rest." I answered sounding very reasonable.
"Why?" came at me again.
"Grandma is getting old." I said using my ace in the hole card.
Unimpressed he looked me in the eyes and said once more, "Why?"

Why?

Now here is the thing.  How do you explain the why for getting old to children. I don't feel old and my grandchildren that are young don't think I am old so why am I acting old? Is it the fact that my life is spent with younger adults that worry about me getting old? Or, could it be that I am using old as an excuse for refusing to doing what I don't want. Am I to blame for people treating me like I am old because I use the old excuse as an easy way out?  I wonder.

b

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