9 Tips to Help You Get A Better Night’s Sleep

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To compensate, many choose to indulge in daytime naps or other solutions. But the truth is that without proper sleep, older adults are at risk. Studies show that there are undeniable links between poor sleep hygiene and strokes, among a wider variety of issues:

- Serious medical and psychiatric issues

- Necessity for added medications for chronic ailments

- The regular use of over-the-counter sleep aids

- Additional sleep disorders like sleep apnea, periodic limb movement disorder, and restless leg syndrome

Issues with sleep are not an isolated incident nor are they a “normal” part of aging.

One in three seniors has trouble falling asleep, one in eight has restless leg syndrome, and many are already on medication that disrupts sound sleep.

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These individuals are also the ones who are more prone to:

- Depressed moods
- Attention and memory problems
- Excessive daytime sleepiness

- More nighttime falls

- Heavy (and ineffective) reliance on over-the-counter or prescription sleep aids

Ironically, sleeping aids are not the way to go because these exacerbate the problem. So an interrupted, deep state of sleep is crucial to keeping these issues at bay.

How do you achieve that constant state of deep sleep? And what do you stand to gain from a full seven to nine hours?

Studies published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine prove that older adults maintain the highest cognitive abilities over time when they’re consistent with their sleep routine. Other benefits researchers observed included:

The aging brain experiences a change in the way that neurons regulate sleep. When compared to a young adult’s brain, there is a decrease.

And older brains do end up spending less time in deep sleep by comparison:

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So the rhythm of your sleep certainly changes, but the quality is still important. But knowing what your body’s natural sleep patterns are the best place to start when addressing poor sleep hygiene.  

That means your first objective is to figure out one thing: What are your sleep patterns like right now?

This is a crucial starting point. Begin by tracking your sleep patterns for 7 to 10 days. See when you’re waking up and for how long.

You can use an app or a sleep tracking device, which are usually wearable and use built-in sensors to record your involuntary movements, snoring, and how long you remain asleep for.

You’ll be able to tell what’s going on and if there are issues with your sleeping. Without this data, you’ll be flying blind.

If you’re an early riser, make sure you’re heading to bed early as well. Older adults typically find that their energy could use a bit of a pick-me-up throughout the day.

If you absolutely can’t avoid it, a nap through the early afternoon is fine. But it shouldn’t stretch longer than 10 to 15 minutes at a time. You want to wake up feeling refreshed, rather than drifting into a deep sleep.

Caffeine is one of those double-edged swords.

On the one hand, studies show that caffeine helps regulate your waking body and accelerate your energy when it’s naturally at its peak. Drinking caffeine comes with a host of benefits that support overall health and wellness.

On the other hand, too much caffeine starts to cause dependency in the brain. You’ll find you need increasingly higher amounts of caffeine to do the same job.

The third issue with caffeine is that it’s all about timing. A cup or two in the morning is fine – as long as you keep it at a consistent level. It’s about limiting your intake, not eliminating.

But don’t make the mistake of consuming caffeine after noon, as studies show it has a direct effect on your body’s ability to naturally secrete the chemicals it needs to slow down and head to bed.

CBTI (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) is proven to be one of the most effective natural treatments. It’s a treatment method that helps you root out the underlying issues and unconscious behaviors and deep-rooted fears that can be interrupting your sleep.

When you work with a therapist specializing in CBTI, you can learn to address the thoughts, habits, and behaviors you’ve built up about sleep. These may be contributing to your difficulty sleeping and could be impacting your health in other areas.

Sleep apnea is definitely disruptive – but it doesn’t have to be something you resign yourself to.

20% of seniors experience sleep apnea, a condition where the muscles that control your breathing atrophy with old age. These are the muscles that keep your airways open, and when these airways collapse, you snore loudly.

Older adults with sleep apnea use a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) to help resolve this issue.

For its part, a CPAP machine helps by drawing in outside air, humidifying it, and then pressurizing it. This air is then delivered to the sleeper through a connective hose and breathing face mask.

Many seniors are on prescription drugs for other sleep-related issues like restless leg syndrome or periodic limb movement disorder.

As long as you’ve consulted with your doctor, you can begin to incorporate a few natural supplements to help bring about a feeling of overall calm and relaxation.

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Once you speak to your doctor, you can potentially use supplements like Ashwagandha or chamomile tea to soothe your nerves and calm yourself close to bedtime.

Depending on your age and mobility levels, you should be getting 20 to 30 minutes of light to moderate activity every day.

For seniors and older adults, consistent exercise keeps your heart healthy and lubricates your joints, builds bone density, keeps you flexible, and promotes overall body strength and longevity.

As a bonus, routine exercise harnesses your extra reserves of energy through the day. So instead of staring at the ceiling come bedtime, your body and mind are tired enough to hit the pillow and fall into a restful, rejuvenating sleep.

A warm bath soothes muscles and helps them to relax. Instead of a meditation technique, try a nice warm bath soak for around 30 minutes right before you head to bed.

The mind-body connection means that you’ll be able to calm your mind when you use heat to relax your muscles. Or absent a bath, you can always unwind in a therapeutic chair designed for a heated massage before you head to bed.

Part of good sleep hygiene is creating the right sleeping environment.

You may already know that your bed is where you sleep, but your sleeping environment includes the details of what mattress, pillow, and even which comforter you use.

You can also amplify the details in your bedroom (like temperature or light pollution) to ensure that it’s designed to promote relaxation and the activity of sleep.

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Besides your bed, seniors can also use their recliner or sleep chairs for a good night’s sleep – as long as it’s built with a zero gravity positioning.

Some recliners will only move to two positions, so make sure you have a recliner that is built for infinite positioning or zero gravity positioning.

These nine tips can be combined or mixed and matched to suit your sleep’s needs. Remember that you’re trying to create a consistent and dependable routine.

Even if your brain is undergoing inevitable chemical changes, that doesn’t mean that you can’t take steps to act alongside these changes.

The fact of the matter is that incorporating modifications and supports to your sleep are a part of maintaining a high quality of life. This can be your relationships, a network of family and friends, or the devices and methods seen here.

However you end up tackling your sleep, you’ll find that better rest means a better life. That’s an idea worth pursuing!