Healthy Aging and a Good Night's Sleep

As we grow older, we need to remain active to keep our bodies and system in shape. The older a person gets the less our bodies want to work, so keeping it fit is really essential for everyone, even the more youthful individuals.

Sleeping is very important to everybody as we are aging. Aging induces a different sleep pattern and we need to learn how to manage it so that when it is time to sleep, we sleep well. It is normal as we age that it becomes more difficult to get a great night's sleep and feel rested when we wake up. Sleeping is just as important as our diet plan and activities.

Did you know that it is more difficult for women to sleep than men in their aging years? If you do not get enough sleep at night, it will lower your alertness throughout the day because you're tired.

There are numerous reasons that some people can't achieve a peaceful night's sleep. In some cases, you might sleep but it is a light sleep when we need to have a deep restful REM sleep. Sometimes you may awaken during the night from pain possibly caused from arthritis or other condition. Other times you might experience heartburn, which causes you to get less sleep. Snoring or feeling depressed in some cases can also cause you to loose sleep. You may have a demanding day followed by the lack of sleep. Muscles convulsions can also cause you to lose sleep.

How you can minimize the issues that cause you to loose sleep:

Caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol can cause us to lose sleep.

Try not to consume liquids before going to sleep, and stop cigarette smoking. Smoking cigarettes not just harmful to your body but it can cause you to lose sleep.

Keep noise levels down.

Excessive noise in the house, the TV or radio in the bed room and snoring are some more factors that can keep us from sleeping. Do not try to go to bed and enjoy television or listen to the radio; this will only keep you awake longer.

Try exercising to reduce aches and pains.

You can learn to enjoy exercises that help you sleep and reduce muscles spasms and/or arthritic symptoms.

Make sure you eat healthy foods.

You can also reduce eating junk foods that trigger heartburn, or drinking caffeine-based substances before you go to bed to enhance your sleeping pattern.

Do you have a family pet that sleeps with you?

Although you think they are providing you comfort it could cause you to lose that precious sleep you require. You might not realize it, however every time your pet moves, perhaps snores, you can hear this while sleeping. Maybe you may have to get your family pet a bed and let him sleep on the flooring beside you. If you have allergic reactions, your animal might be the cause, which can make you loose sleep.

Minimize the amount of time you spend napping.

If you take one during the day for more than 25 minutes, snoozing is not great. I recognize that maybe you're not getting enough sleep during the night and you get tired in the afternoon. Nevertheless, when you rest throughout the day and sleep for a very long time, when it is time to go to bed, you've had just enough sleep that you're not as exhausted.

Consider drinking warm milk before bed.

Before you lie down to rest, you ought to also consider drinking a glass of warm milk. Studies have actually shown that warm milk helps a person to relax.

We all want to feel good and healthy when we get older. That is why healthy aging includes a good night's sleep. These tips above, though seemingly small and insignificant, can have a great impact on our life. Start now with including one of these items into your daily routine. Remember, it can take 30 and in some instance 60 days for habits to develop. Once you are comfortable with one of these items, add another. Within a year, you will see the positive effects on your body and how you feel.