I have a secret…I don’t have sleeping problems.

In fact, I sleep like a babe each night.

And if you read till the end, you will also know how to do it.

Why must you have enough sleep

Sleep is important to everyone, regardless of age. But when you reach 60 and beyond, it is crucial that you get enough of it each night. Never mind the common belief that old people need a lesser amount of sleep. That smacks of urban legend.

But how many hours is considered “enough#8221; Sleep experts cannot agree on a specific figure but suggest an average of 7.5 hours of sleep each night.

I average 6 hours of sleep but take an hour of daytime sleep each day. Missing a few hours will make me sluggish, lethargic and dizzy.

Sleep deprivation is not to be taken lightly. It cannot be shrugged off as part of aging because it can affect your health and well-being. Among others, it can cause:

• loss of strength and endurance
• Balance problems resulting in falls
• Lapses in memory lapses
• Increased wearing of vital organs
• More sensitivity to pain
• Increased risk of diabetes
• Immune system problems

While the importance of good sleep cannot be over-emphasized, the question is “How#8221;

According to the NIH (National Institutes of Health), 13% of men, aged 65 and above, and 35% of women find it hard to sleep at all.

Reasons cited are frequent trips to the bathroom, aches, and pains, anxiety, or past traumatic experiences.

But it can be done. If you belong to this group, it is still possible to have good quality each night.

How to sleep well each night

The following steps may take time to set in. It requires practice until it becomes a habit. If you don’t nail it the first time, don’t lose heart. Just keep on doing it. In time, they become second nature to you.

1.  Have a specific schedule:

I make it a point to be in bed by 10 p.m. You can choose your own time. But whatever it is, stick to it.

This will program your biological clock to send a signal to your brain to produce more melatonin, the sleep-regulating hormones. Once it becomes an evening habit, your brain takes over.

2.  Make your bedroom conducive for sleep:

Make sure your bedroom is conducive for pleasant and restful sleeping. A place for the body to recover after a hectic day. That said, a work-table or a TV set has no place in a bedroom.

Make sure your bed is comfortable to sleep in, i.e., the mattress is soft, and the bed sheets are clean.

Have as many pillows as you prefer (I have three and three other smaller cushions), and the pillowcases should not smell muggy.

Before turning in, turn off the major lights, except for a small lamp beside your bed or somewhere near your bathroom door. A pitch-black bedroom is risky for toilet-runs in the middle of the night.

3.  Tire your eyes:

Nothing puts you to sleep faster than lunch break rush than a couple of tired eyes.

You can do this by reading the Bible or watch Old Western on your iPad –  the smaller the screen and the older the movie, the better.

This is my first secret in sleeping like a babe. I watch YouTube movies from my laptop beside my bed until my eyes are about to pop out from their sockets.

Reading just don’t tire the eyes, it also tires the brain.

4.  Say a mantra:

Repeat a mantra.

A mantra is a sound, word or sentence you repeat over and over again as an aid in concentrating.

Mystical Bee has 8 mantras to help promote better sleep. Take note that mantras are good if you sleep alone. Otherwise, they will have the same effect as snoring on whoever sleeps with you.

How to sleep like a babe

I can’t remember how or when I developed this habit. I guess it just evolved on me. But since observing that it allows me to sleep fast they have become my routine even if I sleep somewhere.

Here they are:

1.  Lie flat on your back:

Lie flat on your back and relax. Empty your mind of all concerns of the day. Relax your entire body, and make your mind as blank as possible.

Say a mantra or do deep breathing exercises.

When you are sufficiently relaxed, and no images are fluttering in your mind, go to step 2;

2. Lie on your right side

Lying on your right side preps you up for the next step.

Stay in this position until your pillow starts to warm under your head, then go to step 3.

Note: It is possible that you would have fallen asleep at this stage if you did step 1 right.

3. Lie on your left side:

Turn, and lie on your left side.

Sleeping on the left side is ancient Ayurvedic’s medicine to modern science. Not only does it promote faster and better sleep, but it also health benefits like:

• Better lymphatic drainage: The body’s lymphatic system is on the left side. This system carries important elements like protein, glucose, metabolites, and others that have to be filtered by the lymph nodes and drained towards the left side of the body.

• Promotes better digestion: Both the stomach and the pancreas (an organ that helps convert the food we eat into fuel for the body’s cells and regulates blood sugar), are on the left side of the body making it easier for these organs to function efficiently.

• Promotes better heart health: Eighty percent of the heart leans towards the left and the aorta leaves the heart by arcing to the left. This makes the heart pump blood easily.

• Promotes better spleen health: Spleen (an organ that filters blood as part of the immune system and helps fight certain kinds of bacteria that cause pneumonia and meningitis), is also on the left side of the body. Sleeping on the left side will help direct body fluids to the spleen by natural gravity.

It is to be expected that you may not get the desired results after a few tries. The body needs to be taught several times before it sinks in. Besides, old fogies take time to learn. But even old dogs can be taught new tricks. And you must. The importance of sleep cannot be over-emphasized.

Sleep is as important as food and water for your over health and well-being. It is crucial for your mental health.

Chronic lack of sleep or sleep deprivation can cause headaches, memory loss, and deprivation. On the more serious side, it can result in cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, and Alzheimer’s.

Not to mention being called a “cranky old man.”

Please help other seniors by sharing this. Better still, subscribe to Age with Charm and be the first to get updates.

~oOo~

The post Do You Have Sleeping Problems Try These first appeared on Age With Charm.

“Sleep is that golden chain that ties health and our bodies together,” Thomas Dekker. No, not just a casual shut-eye when we feel like it.

Yet, when we talk about health, the focus falls on exercise, nutrition, relationships, etc. Hardly does anybody mention a good slumber.

Sleep is so underrated that younger people think seniors don’t need it as much as they do.

Wrong. Experts say seniors should, on average, have a doze of seven to seven and a half hours each night.

Some seniors, however, report they have problems sleeping at night. Not because they don’t feel like sleeping but due to the following:

–  Too much daytime naps:

I sleep an average of six hours/night but I take short naps after lunch and late afternoon.

It doesn’t affect my sleeping pattern as it does to some seniors.

And mid-day naps is not laziness. Science has proven that it is necessary to keep you awake and alert the entire day.

But be sure not to overdo it to the point of making you toss and turn in bed until the wee hours of the morning. Observe how long must you nap to achieve both objectives – stay alert until bedtime, and off you go to dreamland when your back hits the bed.

–  Too much coffee during the day:

The caffeine in coffee blocks adenosine, your body’s natural sleep-inducing agent. Not only that, but it is also a diuretic – any substance the promotes the formation of more urine. This means your sleep will be disturbed by more frequent trips to the toilet.

If you are a coffee junkie, take your coffee in the morning. Afternoon coffee is best if taken before 2 pm.

–  Effects of medications:

Medications for high blood pressure, asthma, as well as cough, colds, and flu medications can stop you from getting enough sleep. Consult your doctor for alternatives or a change in dosage if this happens to you.

Why Enough sleep is important

Enough sleep is essential for your health and well-being. While you may experience occasional sleep problems (like I do), never allow it to become chronic. Studies show that chronic sleep deprivation tends to exacerbate existing medical conditions.

Assuming you are free of any of those, always try to get good sleep each night. It will go a long way towards increasing your strength, a better mood, increasing your body’s ability to fight infection.

Other benefits of good sleep are:

–  Enhances memory and attention span;
–  Reduced use of medications;
–  Reduced symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression;
–  Better cardiovascular health;
–  Improves appetite;
–  Reduced risk of falling;
–  A happier and engaging lifestyle.

In summary, a good night’s sleep is important because it helps improve concentration, and memory, allows your body to repair any cell damage that may have occurred during the day and prevents diseases by strengthening your immune system.

So next time somebody tells you that at your age, you need not get as much sleep at night, just smile and say, “Let’s see who gets to live longer.”

Please share to make other seniors appreciate the value of having a full sleep each night.

~oOo~

The post Do You Know Why You Need to Have Enough Sleep first appeared on Age With Charm.

Let’s get real.

Health in old age is not a parting gift you get when you retire at 60 or 65.

Or is it a reward from Heaven for a lifetime of good behavior.

Rather, it is like a retirement fund you build by saving consistently through the years.

But just as a retirement fund can be lost to mismanagement, fraud or other economic factors, your health, no matter how well you take care of yourself, can take a nosedive when you get old.

Age affects practically every organ of your body, i.e., eyes, ears, limbs, circulatory and nervous systems, the heart, brain, etc. In one way or another, they can make your health a little fragile, a little delicate than when you were young.

But it doesn’t mean you can’t lead an amazing and healthy life at 60 and beyond.

In fact, even if you get down with one or two the common chronic diseases that afflict 80% of seniors, you can still live a normal life.

Here are some excellent ways of doing it:

1.  Exercise:

Exercise improves stamina and strength. It slows down muscle deterioration, works up the heart and the circulatory systems. It also makes the brain manufacture more dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin – the happy hormones.

No need for a club membership or expensive outfits because you can do it anywhere if you want to. The parking lot of a mall early in the morning is as good as any.

Keep away from junk foods and All it needs is the discipline to do it consistently.

2.  Eat well:

This means never to go hungry or to over-eat. Both are bad for your health.

It also means a little care in what you eat. Old age affects the digestive system and metabolism, so temper your diet with fruits and vegetables, lean protein from lean meat, seafood, eggs and bean), whole grains and low-fat fat dairy products.

If you can’t get the full serving during regular meals because of appetite problems, eat snacks in between.

3.  Get enough sleep:

Don’t fall for the regular belief that old people “sleep less.”

Regardless of age, sleep experts say seniors should have about 7 hours of sleep to stay functionally healthy.

I sleep an average of 6 hours but take 45-min mid-day naps. Anything less would make me feel light-headed and lethargic.

4.  Don’t be a recluse:

While being a recluse if often necessary to get our bearings, to find ourselves, keeping away from the mainstream for long periods of time can have a negative impact on your health.

It can lead to negativity and depression. It can affect your immune system, your sleep cycle; makes you clumsy in social interaction and may even shorten your life.

So get out and be with family, friends, neighbors or even strangers (with care, of course), if need be.

5.  Travel:

If you feel claustrophobic and stress out, go for a drive or pack your overnight bag and travel.

Travel is my favorite therapy for loneliness and boredom.

Travel improves mental, emotional and physical health. It is educational and can leave memories and impressions that you can talk about with family and friends.

6.  Do volunteer work:

Another way of staying healthy at 60 and beyond is to offer your skills and expertise to a good cause.

Not only does it drive away loneliness, improves your mental health and is a good exercise, to be of help to others is an excellent way of having a purpose in life.

There is never a shortage of activities to volunteer into like your church projects, senior citizens centers near you, or half-way houses for kids.

7. Take care of yourself:

But the backbone of all these is your health. As the saying goes, “You cannot give what you do not have.”

So take care of yourself. Never miss consulting your doctor, and listen to your body for signs of potential health problems. Never take them for granted.

Remember that you are on your last leg of your life. Live it to the fullest. Celebrate for having reached this far. Now is the perfect time to be bold and brave for having survived everything life has thrown at you.

Please share this ray of hope to other seniors.

~oOo~

The post 7 Ways to be Healthy at 60 and Beyond first appeared on Age With Charm.