If you have a problem sleeping, you are not alone.
The National Institutes of Health say that 10
to 15 of older adults experience at
least one symptom of insomnia a few times per
week.
There are two ways to cope with insomnia — one
is a series of sayings you can do it yourself.
The other requires me help of a trained therapist
and is called cognitive — behavioral therapy for
insomnia or see CBT-I.
Things you can do yourself
Here are eight things you can try before you seek
the services of the therapist.
1. Don’t live in your bedroom. Use it only for
sleeping and sex, not reading or watching TV.
This helps condition your mind to the fact that
when you go too bed it’s to sleep.
2. Be sure to stay in the dark. You can be kept
awake by just the light from an LED clock.
Either convert your eyes with a mask or pull your
shades tight. If you do wake up at night and
need a light, make sure it’s a dim one.
3. Eat a bit. You don’t want to need a heavy
meal before going to bed, but hunger can keep you
awake. So, try munching on HQ crackers, peanuts,
or a couple of cookies before bedtime.
4. Make your bedding soft. Use an especially
fluffy pillow for a cushy comforter as this can
go a long way towards helping you sleep soundly.
5. Try for 20 minutes and then go into another
room. If you are still tossing and turning after
20 minutes, get up and go into another room and
do something quiet and boring such as reading a
bad book or an instruction manual.
6. Don’t nap. Sleeping during the day can easily
rob you of sleep at night.
7. Sleep to a schedule. You should sleep and
rise at the same time every day even on
weekends. It doesn’t matter whether you’re an
early bird or a night owl. Just make and keep to
a schedule.
Try these tips and, chances are, you’ll sleep
better and feel better.