Sleep is an incredibly important bodily process that helps to regulate a number of important functions, and getting quality sleep only becomes more important as we get older. Sleep helps to recharge our proverbial batteries, flush out toxins and damaged cells and give the body time to repair areas that have been burdened by stress during the waking hours. And while sleep becomes more important as you age because these processes tend to be less efficient as we age, it’s not always easy to achieve restful sleep as you get older. In today’s blog, we share some tips for improving your sleep quality as you get older.
Getting Enough Sleep
This factor actually tends to get a little easier as we get older. You likely aren’t staying up late studying for any exams, and if you’re fortunate enough to be retired, you don’t need to wake up before the sun to get to work. That’s not to say that you need to stay in bed until 8 a.m. each morning, but you at least have the flexibility to go to bed earlier or sleep a little later as the days dictate it. With that said, one key component of getting enough sleep is to try and develop a pretty regular sleep routine. Make it a point to go to bed and wake up around the same time each day, giving yourself at least 7-8 hours of time blocked off solely for sleeping. Developing a sleep routine makes it easier to always have plenty of time to sleep. You can be flexible when your schedule requires it, but try not to have a big variance in bedtime and wake up time during the week.
Uninterrupted Sleep
Staying asleep for an extended period of time tends to be the much harder aspect of sleep quality to achieve. We can’t speak to every situation, but here are some quick tips for making it easier to stay asleep once you’ve fallen asleep:
- Keep distractions and light sources out of the room. Don’t leave your phone unsilenced or leave your TV on all night, as those technologies can wake you up in the middle of the night.
- Make your room as dark as possible. Eliminate sources of light and invest in room darkening blinds if sunlight is waking you up earlier than you’d like.
- Mind your liquid intake before bed. Many older adults get up to go to the bathroom at least once a night, and that obviously interrupts your sleep pattern. Limit your water or liquid intake before bed so that your bladder isn’t as stressed while you’re sleeping.
- Care for any underlying health conditions that could interrupt sleep. Develop healthy eating habits if you’re diabetic so that your blood glucose meter doesn’t wake you up in the middle of the night if you are low, and consider being screened for sleep apnea if snoring or breathing issues are waking you up at night.
Finally, one simple way to get better sleep at night is by connecting with the team at HyperCharge Clinic. Many of our treatment modalities work to improve sleep function. Whether we’re energizing your body on a cellular level to enhance tissue repair while you’re sleeping or control oxidative stress that can serve to interrupt your sleep, we’re confident that we can find a technique that’s right for you. Our non-invasive and clinically proven techniques like Red Light Therapy or Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy have helped countless patients improve their sleep quality, and we’d love to put these treatments to work for you. For more information on our sleep enhancement program, follow the link or give our team a call today at (763) 717-8745.