Getting a Good Night's Sleep when You're Over 50 London
Sleeping soundly every night is a huge and seemingly insurmountable problem for many over 50s. Insomnia, restlessness and broken sleep can lead to tiredness, stress and feeling older than you should although, as this article explains, there’s plenty that you can do to rectify matters and restore your wellbeing.
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Getting a Good Night's Sleep when You're Over 50
There’s no doubt about it. Sleep, or lack of it, plays an essential role in our physical and mental well-being. Lack of sleep, particularly on an ongoing basis, can lead to poor concentration, irritability, and depression. Sleep is a time for restoring both physical and mental energy, and is also when a growth hormone is secreted which is involved in rebuilding tissues and muscle repair.
As we age, getting to sleep and staying asleep can be harder than when were young and the physical and mental symptoms which result can often be put down to ageing when, in fact, they are simply tiredness!
Nevertheless, poor sleep is not something we should just accept as inevitable; like many other areas of life, improvements can be made if we’re prepared to make some changes.
We are all different in terms of how much sleep we need, but the norm is thought to be seven to eight hours. However, quality of sleep is just as important as quantity and many people find that a shorter period of night-time sleep supplemented by one or more daytime naps can be highly effective (Difficult perhaps if you’re still working, but worth considering if at all possible).
Problem prevention
The first step to improving your sleep is to look at some obvious underlying problems. How old is your bed, could you do with a replacement? It’s amazing how many over 50s couples are still sleeping in a bed that they bought when they first set up home together many decades earlier. Even more suprising is that they don’t make the connection between their old bed and their underlying discomfort.
Similarly with your bedding. Old pillows and duvets can also detract from your comfort and a few pounds spent on replacements can make a world of difference.
Insomnia (inability to sleep) and interrupted sleep may have different causes and the former, in particular, may result from any number of individual reasons including worry, stress, digestive issues, breathing problems, or back and joint pain.
The Sleep Council, the generic body which advises on sleep and sleep-related matters has plenty of advice available on how to ensure you get enough rest, including taking more exercise, cutting down on stimulants such as tea, coffee and alcohol, creating a restful sleeping environment, and if you can’t sleep, getting up to do something different until you feel sleepy again. Sufficient fresh air can also help so make sure, if possible, that you leave a window or door open to improve your oxygen intake.
At this age, couples may find that one partner’s snoring or frequent waking may be disturbing the other causing them to lose sleep also. If earplugs and all else fail it may be worth considering separate beds or separate rooms. Drastic - but probably worth it in terms of improved tempers during the day.
Click here to find out more about staying Primetastic from in my prime
As we age, getting to sleep and staying asleep can be harder than when were young and the physical and mental symptoms which result can often be put down to ageing when, in fact, they are simply tiredness!
Nevertheless, poor sleep is not something we should just accept as inevitable; like many other areas of life, improvements can be made if we’re prepared to make some changes.
We are all different in terms of how much sleep we need, but the norm is thought to be seven to eight hours. However, quality of sleep is just as important as quantity and many people find that a shorter period of night-time sleep supplemented by one or more daytime naps can be highly effective (Difficult perhaps if you’re still working, but worth considering if at all possible).
Problem prevention
The first step to improving your sleep is to look at some obvious underlying problems. How old is your bed, could you do with a replacement? It’s amazing how many over 50s couples are still sleeping in a bed that they bought when they first set up home together many decades earlier. Even more suprising is that they don’t make the connection between their old bed and their underlying discomfort.
Similarly with your bedding. Old pillows and duvets can also detract from your comfort and a few pounds spent on replacements can make a world of difference.
Insomnia (inability to sleep) and interrupted sleep may have different causes and the former, in particular, may result from any number of individual reasons including worry, stress, digestive issues, breathing problems, or back and joint pain.
The Sleep Council, the generic body which advises on sleep and sleep-related matters has plenty of advice available on how to ensure you get enough rest, including taking more exercise, cutting down on stimulants such as tea, coffee and alcohol, creating a restful sleeping environment, and if you can’t sleep, getting up to do something different until you feel sleepy again. Sufficient fresh air can also help so make sure, if possible, that you leave a window or door open to improve your oxygen intake.
At this age, couples may find that one partner’s snoring or frequent waking may be disturbing the other causing them to lose sleep also. If earplugs and all else fail it may be worth considering separate beds or separate rooms. Drastic - but probably worth it in terms of improved tempers during the day.
Click here to find out more about staying Primetastic from in my prime