Midlife keeping you up at night? No, you’re not dreaming this up,
although, you probably wish you were at this point and your certainly
not alone. Yes! those sleepless nights show up out of nowhere
blindsiding the vast majority of us with some candidly eerily
similarities: difficulty falling asleep, a few tried and true sleep aids
only to find they suddenly stopped working, constantly fluffing your
new bedding, tossing and turning with endless trips to the bathroom and
numerous doctor visits with more than a few prescriptions to add to your
ever-growing medication list. All, at this point, feeling like mere
futile attempts and stabs in the dark leaving you discouraged, and quite
frankly a bit desperate on your endless quest for some simple shut-eye.
Here are a few tips I use for my own sleepless nights and in
helping other patients since being a Physician doesn’t give you a free
get out of midlife card. (trust me! I would have cashed it in by now)
But rather, new and up-close experiences and insight into some things
you once only treated from afar.
1. Pre Sleep- Yes! you need to start thinking about sleep even before
you go to bed. That also includes what you do during the day, spending
30min a day in natural sunlight increases your Vit D levels and improves
your circadian rhythm, improving your overall sleep. At least 2 hours
before bed, begin the wind-down process. Let your friends and family
know that this is a time that you only receive calls or text for
emergencies. Otherwise, you may keep subjecting yourself to that oh so
familiar friend’s 2am worthless text that kept you up half the night.
This is also a great opportunity to soak in a warm bath adding essential
oils such as Lavender and little Epsom salt to ease the aches and pains
of the day what better way to promote better sleep?
2. Sleep environment- start by assessing your room it should be
conducive to sleep. Yes! remove the distractions like TV, computers and
other electronic devices. Adjust your thermostat to 65 deg C treat
yourself to some luxurious loose sleepwear and comfortable sheets and
bedding, of course, you deserve it! Remember sound sleep is going to be
best achieved in a comfortable dark quiet room with few distractions.
3. Medications- If you are noticing your medication list is growing
faster than the weeds in your backyard. It’s time for a review at your
next Doctors visit. In our current health care system medications are
often added by multiple Physicians for a variety of reasons make sure
you have an accurate list of everything your taking including
prescriptions, over the counter medications and supplements. Many
medications are notorious for exacerbating insomnia including blood
pressure, heart, thyroid, cold and allergy medications to name a few. So
be sure to review those meds!
4. Health concerns- New or existing health conditions such as sleep
apnea, pain, restless leg syndrome, anxiety and depression unaddressed
can be keeping you up at night. Remember sometimes insomnia can be a
sign of an unresolved health concern that needs your attention.
5. Herbal remedies- There are herbs that have been used almost since the
beginning of time to improve sleep. Melatonin usually in a dose of
1-3mg lets the body know its time for sleep. Valerian and lemon balm are
also known for their quieting effects. Be sure before starting any
herbs that you check with your physician for safety and interactions
with other medications you may be taking.
Insomnia is a relatively common sleep disorder affecting one-third of
adults. With the quality of sleep decreasing for most of us in midlife.
These sleepless nights are more than just an inconvenience but can have
severe consequences such sleep-related road crashes injuries and
fatalities, decreasing daily performance, increasing stress and
worsening chronic illness like diabetes, obesity, depression, and
cancer. No! it’s not ok to not be sleeping your sleepless nights are
affecting your health and well being and need to be addressed!
Sleep deprived? Some helpful resources to help with those sleepless nights: The effects of sleep deprivation on your body, Middle-aged sleep problems tied to cognitive decline down the line , Repaying your sleep debt
Photo: Unsplash Yuris-Alhumaydy
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Faith M. Whittier M.D.
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