To Sleep or Not to Sleep

As the years pile up, sleep patterns can become disturbed. The reasons for this state of affairs are as varied as there are people. For some it’s recurring pain, for others it could be worry and stress, medication or depression. The list goes on and on.

            The point is that being unable to sleep at times just proves that we are human. The question then becomes: what are you supposed to do about it? Or rather, with it?

            My sister tells me that every so often she spends the whole night awake and is terribly tired the next day. While I believe she may be awake for part of the night, she probably dozes off for some time here and there without realizing it. She turns on the TV in her bedroom and watches infomercials until it’s time to get up, but I am of the opinion that she sleeps through many of them. In any event, having a television set in the bedroom is not a good idea because we may be tempted to watch movies late at night, movies that may keep us on the edge of our seat – rather our bed – making it hard to fall asleep afterwards.

Lack of sleep is no laughing matter, and a doctor should be consulted if it is the norm rather than the exception. You might simply need more exercise, and an after-dinner walk can do wonders for the body. Or your spouse may be a loud snorer or a restless sleeper and thus affect your own sleep. Discuss the problem with him or her.

A friend who eats dinner early says she often wakes up during the night because of hunger. The solution seems simple to me: eating a little something before bed can be helpful to counteract the problem.

            Because we often become light sleepers as we age, outside sounds such as an airplane, a loud car or thunder can wake us up without our realizing exactly the cause of the problem. To counteract such things, some people use earplugs, but I doubt that everyone would be comfortable wearing them to bed. 

            Another problem is suffering from insomnia when traveling. Many people cannot sleep, or at least sleep soundly, when in a bed other than their own often because the mattress is much softer or harder than the one they are used to. For some, sleeping on a foam cushion on top of the mattress solves the problems.

            It is certain that we all get used to our own space, no matter the age. I live in the city, and two of my grandchildren live in the country. When visiting me one weekend, my grandson was unable to sleep. It was a warm spring night and I had opened the window to let in fresh air, but my grandson complained that the people talking as they walked on the sidewalk made it hard for him to fall asleep. He is used to complete silence, something I find difficult to adjust to when I visit his family. The total silence prevents me from falling asleep quickly. 

            Some of the reasons we do not sleep well can be remedied once we become aware of what they are, i.e. the mattress, the snorer nearby, etc. However, you may have a sleep disorder if most of the time you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep; or you wake up not feeling rested and need to take a nap during the day. A sleep disorder should be discussed with a doctor. We all need our sleep, and can only be our best when we are rested no matter our age.