Getting a good night’s sleep isn’t easy. One study found that over two-thirds of adults in the United States struggled with sleep at least once a week, and 27% had trouble falling asleep or staying asleep most nights. And as we age, it typically becomes more difficult to sleep through the night.
Sleep, however, is one of the most essential things we can do to remain at optimum health. As a caregiver, you want to make sure that your loved one is getting a good night’s sleep as often as possible.
With that in mind, Centers Choice Home Care has the details on setting an evening routine to help get to sleep faster.
- Determine What Relaxes You
Setting a bedtime routine is a very personal thing. You will want to identify what relaxes you or the person you care for. That could be taking a hot shower or bath, reading a book, meditating, or writing in a journal. Regardless of the activity, you want it to be relaxing and an enjoyable way for the person to end their day.
- Create a Schedule
Experts advise creating a schedule by filling the last hour of your day with three relaxing activities that take 20 minutes each. The first segment should be filled with something productive that reduces stress (anything from setting clothes out for the next day or writing in a journal), use the next 20 minutes for hygiene, and the final 20 minutes for a true relaxation activity—reading, meditating, prayer, etc. This routine can train your body to relax and get itself ready for sleep, and doing the same thing every night further establishes that pattern in your system.
- What to Avoid
Granted, what doesn’t work for some people may work for others, but in general, these are activities to avoid in the hour while you’re winding down. You’ll want to avoid exercising and having caffeine before bed, as these will rile your system up when you are trying to shut it down for the day.
Blue-light devices also stop production of melatonin in the body, which is a hormone that the body produces more of at night when it’s time to sleep, so even if you feel relaxed watching TV or scrolling through your phone, your body may not be fully relaxed.
We also sleep better in cooler environments, so make sure that your bedroom isn’t too warm when it’s time to go to bed.
To learn more about Centers Choice Home Care and all the services they offer, visit CentersChoice.com.
