Getting enough sleep as a caregiver is vital if you’re going to keep pushing yourself. You have to have a sleep schedule that works for you and that might mean making some changes to what you’re currently doing.
Give Yourself a Stopping Time
It’s really common as a caregiver to tell yourself that you’ll do one more thing or just two more things and then head to bed. But then those tasks take longer than you expect and you’re up until the wee hours of the morning. One way around this is to set a stopping time for yourself that you stick to. Whatever doesn’t get done by then gets done the next day.
Allow Time to Wind Down
Your stopping point needs to be early enough in the evening that you also have time to wind down and prepare mentally and physically for bed. Ideally you’ll need at least an hour or two. One easy way to figure out timing is to narrow down when you typically want to go to sleep and back your way up to your ideal stopping time.
Determine What Activities Help You Prepare for Sleep
Everybody is different, of course. Some people like to read before bed while others prefer a bath and a snack. Do a little bit of brainstorming about what helps you to relax and to wind down from your day. Once you have a list, you can determine which of those activities you want to build into your routine for getting ready for sleep.
Reassess the Atmosphere of Your Bedroom
If your bedroom isn’t comfortable and set up for optimal sleeping, it’s going to be more difficult for you to get to sleep quickly. Do you need the room to be cooler? Perhaps your bedding is due for replacement. Again, you don’t have to change everything at once. Pick a change that you feel will make a big difference and put it into effect.
Allow Yourself to Adjust
During this process, give yourself time and space to adjust. Some of the changes that you make might give you immediate results, while others take a little longer to bear fruit. If you stress out over this process, it’s going to feel more complicated.
Resetting your entire sleep schedule doesn’t happen overnight, unfortunately. You may find that just adjusting one or two variables at first and tackling more changes later gives you a smoother shift to better sleep.
If you or an aging loved one are considering caregivers in Woodbury, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.
