Relaxation Techniques to Help Seniors Get a Good Night’s Sleep
We often associate the phrase “sleeping like a baby” with restful slumber, but sometimes, the exact opposite is true — for babies, seniors, and everyone in between. Some nights, you might wake up multiple times, or you may struggle to even get to sleep until the early hours of the morning. To help guide you toward a more restful sleep tonight, we’ve compiled the following list of techniques you can implement to wake up feeling refreshed.
8 Relaxation Techniques to Help Seniors Sleep
The trick to falling asleep is recognizing what your body is doing before you hop under the sheets. If you can start winding down before you even think of hitting the pillow, you’re on the right track. Which of the following techniques will you try tonight?
1. Read
It may seem counterintuitive to stimulate the brain before going to bed, but silently reading can help seniors direct their minds and transition from the worries of the day to a time, place, or world other than their own. Reading can also become part of a sleep routine, which includes getting ready and snuggling up under the covers with a novel.
2. Invest in Comfortable Bedding
Trying to relax on a scratchy or itchy surface isn’t conducive to sleep. Comfortable bedding can help your body relax and feel safe. If you find a soft blanket, you might even look forward to going to bed.
3. Create a Peaceful Sleeping Environment
Achieving a peaceful sleeping environment can feel tricky. Think about what distracts you — whether it’s lights, sounds, or smells — and how you can remove or reduce those distractions to benefit your sleep.
4. Try Aromatherapy
Certain scents, such as lavender, can help reduce anxiety and promote a calmer environment. Try adding a diffuser to your bedroom and fill it with scents that you like. Just be aware of and test your allergies or sensitivities to certain scents before you add them to the bedroom.
5. Practice Breathing Exercises
Breathing exercises and our next point — meditation — can easily go hand-in-hand. It’s often easiest to start with a few minutes a day of breathing exercises that help you focus more on the present and less on the thoughts in your head. Setting a timer can help you regulate your breathing before bed for more restful sleep.
6. Meditate
As calming as meditation sounds, it can be challenging to achieve at first. The key is persistence and your determination to simply be aware of the moment and your surroundings. In conjunction with journaling, breathing exercises, and a peaceful sleeping environment, meditation can also improve other parts of your life beyond sleep.
7. Develop a Routine
Any of the other techniques on this list can be integrated into a sleep routine. For example, you might stop everything you’re doing an hour before you want to sleep to meditate and set up a diffuser with your favorite scents. As you meditate, you can practice breathing or even journal to get those pesky thoughts out of your head.
8. Journal
Keeping a journal can look different for everyone, but the idea remains the same. As you journal, write down your most bothersome thoughts, from what you’re stressed about to whatever else might be racing through your head. You can approach journaling however best suits you in allowing your brain to prepare for sleep.
Reduce Stress and Improve Your Sleep with Visiting Angels
It’s often too easy to bring the stress of the day to bed with us, but Visiting Angels of West Cincinnati can help reduce that burden and contribute to more restful sleep. Our caregivers assist seniors in accomplishing daily tasks to ensure they can approach bedtime with peace. They can also assist with bedtime and wake-up routines.
Call us today at 513-598-6770 to see how we can help.