Sleep strategies

Unsatisfactory rest has the tendency to amplify the effects of fatigue and chemo brain. With so much going through your mind and the physical impacts of cancer, sleep problems are common. Treat this like you would any other side effect. Seek ways to remedy the situation. You need all of the energy that you can muster to confront your diagnosis.

Tips for getting better sleep

• Caregivers can help by keeping the room quiet and comfortable, offering gentle backrubs or foot massages near bedtime, offering to provide light bedtime snacks and keeping the sheets clean and free of wrinkles.

• Avoid caffeine in drinks or even caffeinated foods, like chocolate, at

least six to eight hours before bedtime.

• Sleep as much as your body tells you to.

• Try to exercise at least once a day but not two or three hours before

bedtime.

• You may need naps, but try to keep them short (less than an hour) and

before 3 p.m.

• Drink warm milk or decaf tea before sleep.

• Take a warm bath before bedtime.

• Don’t use your bed to work; reserve it for sleep.

• Turn off all electronics (laptop, television, cellphones, tablet) at bedtime • Follow a routine to help you relax before sleep (i.e. reading or listening

to music).

• Make your bedroom comfortable, dark, quiet and not too warm or cold. • Go to sleep at the same time each night and get up at the same time

each morning.

• Don’t eat a heavy meal late in the day, but a light snack before bedtime

is okay.

• Make sure your room is dark at bedtime and use a flashlight when you

get up for any reason. Avoid turning on the regular lights.

• Talk to your healthcare team about relaxation therapy or getting a

referral to a hypnotherapist.