Remember when you could come home on Saturday morning after a late night out and sleep until time to go back to work on Monday? Or maybe you could do a couple back-to-back shifts, go home and manage to get that missed sleep caught up by the next day. Yeah, not so much now. Sleeping is a whole issue in itself for queenagers. Right?

Whether its falling asleep or staying asleep, the act of sleeping becomes much different as we age. Maybe you have something on your mind and you play and replay it over and over in your head until early morning hours like I am wont to do. Maybe you get up to the bathroom and BO-ING, eyes wide open and you just cannot go back to sleep. Or, you have achy joints and restless leg syndrome and you sleep, but not really. Tossing and turning til you can't even find your top sheet any longer. If you know, you know, and I'm sure you do.

Many issues with sleep just come naturally with aging. Natural hormone production declines. Melatonin, for example which tells your body when to fall asleep and wake up, is not so readily available any longer. Others like cortisol respond to a natural circadian rhythm which is also not so reliable any longer. You just don't get outside for the natural light like you used to. Health conditions such as heart conditions, breathing issues, diabetes, and depression may also interrupt quality sleep. It could also be that some medication you may be taking contribute to insomnia.

And don't fall prey to the myth that queenagers need less sleep; just not so. We need to be able to fall asleep and stay asleep for 7.5 to 8 hours a night. Oh, you might function on less, but science associates a good night's sleep with health and longevity. You should build into your schedule at least 7 hours for sleep. The good news is there are a number of strategies you might use to get the sleep your body and mind needs.

Control the sleeping environment

First and foremost you must be comfortable in your bed. Consider whether you might need to invest in a better mattress and bedding. It may be time to throw out that 1984 version you're still sleeping on! Then concentrate on blocking out all the light you can. I have to turn my clock face down every night. Blackout curtains and blinds. Is there an aggravating light on the cable box? What else is casting light when your nervous system prefers darkness? Also, you should minimize noise unless you are used to sleeping with "white noise." Yes, I have a fan in my room that runs every night, just for the noise. You? Your body also prefers to be cool. Set thermostat 65-68 degrees F for the best sleeping temp and avoid sleeping in heavy, synthetic pajamas or gowns.

Be wary of your internal environment also. Eating late in the evening, especially spicy and fatty foods and drinking alcohol can almost guarantee a bad night's sleep. Don't let your stomach keep you up all night trying to digest pizza and beer. And be sure to limit caffeine intake beginning in early afternoon. Remember, decaf is NOT no caf! And you want to limit fluid intake to some extent before bedtime to avoid many trips to the bathroom. But do take care to be well-hydrated before dinner since going to bed dehydrated is not advisable!

Manage your routine

What you routinely do in the evening can facilitate or thwart a plan for a restful night. Try to avoid use of all devices an hour before bedtime. That means end screen time well before you need to fall asleep. Research has shown that blue light exposure in the evening interferes with hormone production and therefore circadian rhythm and that can throw off sleep patterns. "She's got her days and nights mixed up." Yep, that's a thing and your phone may be causing it. Turn it off and try to just relax for 30 minutes of quietness before you lie down. Great time to do some dedicated meditation there! Also a good time to do your mental gratitude exercise. Then try to just clear out your mind.

Your daytime routine should also be aimed at getting a good night's sleep. Exercise of course. Regularly (but not before bed!) for at least 30 minutes a day. And a daytime nap is good (okay, great!), but not more than 20-30 minutes. Walking outside is a good habit as you need a minimum of 30 minutes of natural light exposure to produce melatonin.

If you need to take it up a notch.

Don't ever just keep tossing and turning. If you can't fall asleep in 20-30 minutes, get up. Go back to the comfortable relaxation you were doing before bed and try it again. Do your best to manage your worries. Tell yourself you'll come back to working on them in the morning. Yes, counting sheep works sometimes or "99 bottles of beer on the wall." Not the time to solve the world's problems though.

Begin by keeping a consistent sleep schedule. Set the clock to get up at the same time and try to go to bed at the same time every day. Our queenaged bodies respond well to routines and schedules. You might need to keep a sleep/wake diary for a few weeks to figure out what works best for you. And you might want to consider a natural supplement to help. Think melatonin, chamomile, valerian. Maybe zinc or magnesium.

In conclusion...

Insomnia gets to us all from time to time despite our best effort to manage it. However, studies have indicated that as many as 50% of us queenagers report it to be a common, everyday event. Poor sleep can result in disorientation and poor cognition and put you at an increased risk for falls. Long-term consequences of poor sleep include high blood pressure and other circulation issues as well as mental health issues. Research has shown that individuals who sleep less than 5 hours a night are twice as likely to develop dementia compared to those who sleep 6-8 hours per night. At best poor sleep can interfere with quality of life and should not be the norm. We can change that and it is vital to health and wellbeing that we do. After all, we must have our beauty sleep!

Resources:

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