If you’re like 99.99% of humanity, sometimes you just can’t sleep at night. You know how it is. You turn something (or several things) over and over in your mind. At some point, your mind begins to race. In the wee small hours, everything you think of is a problem, and it can seem at 3:00 AM that no problem has a solution.
Ultimately, the focus of your anxiety becomes wakefulness itself. You look at the clock and see that the alarm goes off in three hours. You find yourself thinking, “How can I possibly face the day?”
If you are a family caregiver, the problem can be even worse. For openers, there’s usually no way to “call in sick” from caregiving. For another thing, you probably don’t want to take sleeping pills because you know you’ll have to be quickly awake and alert in the night if there is an emergency. What to do?
The May/June 2007 issue of Caring Today offers some practical suggestions to help stressed out caregivers get the sleep they need. There’s nothing particularly radical here, but it’s nice to see so many ideas and approaches organized and presented specifically with family caregivers in mind. The suggestions include these:
- Have difficult discussions early in the day so that you aren’t still agitated by them at bedtime
- Get some exercise, aiming for half an hour of moderate activity most days
- Keep a journal to vent your feelings and clear your mind
- Soak in the tub for 30 minutes an hour or so before bedtime
- Give your pillow a soothing scent, such as lavender
- Listen to mellow music instead of watching TV for the last hour before bed
- Imagine a tranquil scene instead of counting sheep
There’s no silver bullet here that will stop insomnia cold every time, but making these small changes in the way you live will certainly help you cut your sleep difficulties down to size.
So try them yourself. They’re free and they can’t do anything but make you generally healthier, even if they don’t help you sleep.
Sweet dreams!
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There are 2 Responses to “Caregiver Insomnia”
#2 Pete - 15 May, 2:49 PM
Thanks, Kathy
I hope you have a solid support network to help with all the responsibilities you have. I don’t have any research to back this up, but my own experience tells me that insomnia is worst of all when you feel most isolated.
#1 Kathy - 15 May, 2:48 PM
Sleepless in NC
I have the same problem. My Dad, who has Alzheimer’s disease, lives with me, and sleeps like a baby. I am up half the night worried about Dad, work, insurance, VA, my family, the future, etc.
I appreciate the tips!