How to get your best sleep in your seniors years

Not only is sleep important to our health, but it’s also vital to living a happy life. That means that if you don’t get enough of it, you might find yourself feeling bad on multiple different levels. And that’s not the best way to spend your “golden years”, is it? Luckily, there are some things you can do to ensure that your sleep is both high quality and adequate in quantity. Let’s take a look at how you can get your best sleep in your senior years.

Create a Routine

You might not have needed to set a specific “bedtime” when you were younger, but your body changes as you age. This can impact your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep as you might have done in the past. Try picking a time to go to bed each night and then dedicated an hour or so beforehand to calming activities. If you’d like to quiet your mind, some gentle yoga – or even a short walk around your neighborhood – could be just the thing to help you fall asleep peacefully. Don’t be afraid to experiment! Find the activities that make you feel the best, and then create a routine you follow faithfully every night.

Make Your Space Calming

Something else you might consider doing is creating a calming environment in which to sleep. Try keeping your bedroom completely separate from other activities. That means that you don’t watch TV in there or eat in there. Instead, your bedroom is dedicated solely to relaxing. You can help ensure the space is peaceful by painting the walls a gentle hue, keeping the temperature a moderate one, and investing in soft bedding.

Invest in a Good Mattress

This might seem too obvious, but have you checked your mattress recently? You might think that this would be the first thing people look at if they’re having trouble sleeping, but in reality it’s almost always one of the last. Take some time and figure out how you sleep, first of all. Do you fall asleep on your back or your side? This is important information to keep in mind when researching mattresses. Don’t balk at the price for a good mattress, either. While you might prefer to spend the money elsewhere, a quality mattress can do wonders for your sleep and your quality of life.

Avoid Caffeine Before Bed

Some people really enjoy a cup of coffee or tea at night, but that indulgence could be interrupting your sleep. Your sensitivity to caffeine can fluctuate over time. That means that even if you used to be able to drink plenty of it at night right before bed and fall asleep with no problem, that same amount might keep you up all night once you’re a little older. With that in mind, do your best to avoid drinking caffeine within several hours before you fall asleep – stop at six hours before your bedtime and then try drinking caffeine a little later until you find the point where it becomes a problem.