sleep Archives %- – Rock The Wrinkle

Are you tired?

When was the last time you really slept…like an uninterrupted 8 hours? Or took an actual afternoon nap without the cell phone interrupting your peace?

Why is it we can’t sleep? And why do we think we’re not supposed to?

Especially for us baby boomers and beyond…sleep is precious. Agingcare.com says:

Sleep needs change naturally throughout a person’s lifetime. For example, it is common knowledge that children and adolescents need more sleep than adults. Interestingly, though, older adults need about the same amount of sleep as their younger counterparts—seven to nine hours each night.

Unfortunately, many older adults get less sleep than they need. One reason is that they often have a difficult time falling asleep. A study of adults over 65 found that 13 percent of men and 36 percent of women take more than 30 minutes to fall asleep each night.

And while it’s often said that sleep problems are a normal part of aging, that’s actually not the case. If you’re really have problems sleeping, you might want to see your physician. But if it’s an occasional thing, here are a few suggestions from agingcare.com:

Follow a regular schedule. Go to sleep and wake up at the same time, even on weekends.
Minimize naps. Try to nap only when you must. Excessive sleep during the day can keep you from falling and staying asleep.
Exercise. Regular physical activity has been shown to improve sleep quality. For best results, finish working out at least three hours before bedtime.
Get some sun. Go outside for at least 15 minutes a day and soak up some natural light.
Avoid caffeine. At least reduce it late in the day.
Develop a bedtime routine. Do the same things each night to tell your body that it’s time to wind down.
Use your bedroom only for sleeping. After turning off the light, give yourself about 15 minutes to fall asleep. If you are still awake and not feeling drowsy, get out of bed and do something low key, like reading.

But maybe falling asleep isn’t your issue…maybe you feel that taking a nap or going to bed earlier than someone else is a bad thing…that you’re lazy, or you are “no fun”, or it’s an idea drilled into you when you were younger about the early bird getting the worm, etc.

Do you really want the worm?

Or put another way, what good does getting the worm do if you’re yawning all day?

And if you’re over 55, chances are you’ve caught enough worms. It’s okay to rest. It’s always been okay to rest, we just don’t want anyone to know we do it.

But hang on. There’s good news for all you closet nappers. According to the National Sleep Foundation, a short nap of 20-30 minutes can help to improve mood, alertness and performance. Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, Napoleon, Albert Einstein, and Thomas Edison were known to have valued an afternoon nap.

Other research has also suggested that daytime napping can improve memory by fivefold, and that a one-hour nap is best for boosting alertness and mental performance without interfering with nighttime sleep.

So hey. Go for it. Take a break. Take a nap. Turn off your phone. And don’t chide a friend who says they need to go to bed early. Tired isn’t good for you. There’s always time for a nap.

How about now?

“Sleep is the best meditation.”

Dalai Lama

What this boomer would like for Christmas:

To sleep uninterrupted for 8 hours. (I think I did it when I was a teenager, but I can’t remember. )
To be able to open a website without popups asking me if I want to subscribe, give money, or join.
To be able to open a bag of chips without a flame thrower and an axe.
To be able to pass on some well-earned advice about situations that, when you are young, you think will be the toughest things you will ever face. (not)
To eat a few certain cherished cheat foods and not pay the price.
To never see another commercial for Progressive Insurance, Geico Insurance, or Sonic again.
To walk by a running creek every day.
To understand why so many people are so filled with fear and hate of people who are different from them.
A muzzle for Donald Trump (see above).
To be able to get up from the couch without groaning.
To play tennis with my father again and watch my mother cook dinner again. (And eat it all.)
To write a novel that changes someone’s life…and is published the old-fashioned, authentic, sweat and tears way (agent, publisher).
To sit down to dinner knowing other people have enough to eat and a warm, dry place to sleep.
A cable channel that shows nothing but the Marx Brothers, Harold Lloyd movies, and reruns of Captain Kangaroo.
Good feet.
A promise that when I go to Heaven, I can go trout fishing with Cory Wells.
To be able to visit The Blues Museum in Memphis much more often and listen to recordings of the greats.
To take my dog for a walk without forgetting something (the leash, plastic bags, keys, water, the dog).
Peace, good health, and hope for all my friends and loved ones, without forgetting that everyone deserves that—regardless of race or religion.
To always remember how blessed I am.
My mother’s macaroni and cheese (see #11).