5 CULPRITS THAT MAY BE WRECKING YOUR SLEEP
MANY mid-lifers find it difficult to get enough sleep, particularly those who are always busy. And if you don’t sleep long enough, not only will your quality of life be affected, but your behaviour will change.
Indeed, some of the problems that people put down to ‘old age’ are simply due to lack of sleep.
Ideally, you should be aiming for at least seven hours of oblivion a night for at least five nights a week.
So what is it that makes you toss and turn and find it so hard to switch off? Essentially, there are five causes of poor sleep:
1. CAFFEINE/ALCOHOL
CHEMICALS in the brain can cause sleep problems, particularly caffeine but also recreational drugs such as alcohol. The older your brain, the more sensitive it becomes to the effects of chemicals.
So go easy on the wine at night, and make sure you stop drinking tea or coffee by 6pm at the latest (though some people need to stop much earlier in the day).
Prescribed medicines can also keep you awake: usually ‘sleeping difficulties’ are listed as a possible side-effect in the leaflet in the box. Ask your pharmacist for advice and, if necessary, go back to your GP for an alternative.
2. ANXIETY/STRESS
MOST of the time, insomnia is linked to psychological problems such as anxiety and stress, which can both be at a premium in mid-life.
People who are anxious find their minds going over and over certain issues: ‘Should I take that job offer?’; ‘How are we going to pay all the bills next month?’; ‘Why does our relationship feel strained?’
Sleeping pills may help in the short term, but the best way to improve your sleep is by using relaxation techniques such as breathing in and out slowly and deeply, saying ‘Breathe in, breathe out’ to yourself as you do so.
3. POOR SUPPORT
ONE environmental factor that often gets overlooked is your mattress. These age, just like human beings, and it could be that yours is no longer up to the job, or offering your sleeping body proper support.
There’s no rule about how hard or soft a mattress should be — it just has to be right for you.
If you sleep with a partner, a zipped pair of single mattresses, one soft and the other firm, could well be the answer. Alternatively, some manufacturers make double and kingsize mattresses with one half soft and the other medium, or they are split medium/firm.
Your social environment can also cause sleep problems, such as having children who wake early or teenagers who come in late .
4. INACTIVITY
GETTING fitter and being active will most certainly help you to sleep better, even if you have arthritis, though most experts advise against vigorous exercise before bed.
What can help, though, is yoga, tai chi, Pilates or the Alexander Technique. Try a few exercises or just do some stretching for five minutes every night.
Finally, for some people, the main problem is night-time itching. A generous application of aqueous cream is effective in reducing this.
5. LACK OF ROUTINE
THERE’S evidence that a regular bedtime helps children get off to sleep, often accompanied by a bedtime ritual — a bath, a story, a kiss, a whispered ‘love you’.
For adults, too, the lack of a bedtime routine can be the principal cause of sleep problems.