You might think that your eating habits have very little to do with your sleeping habits, but the truth is that they’re very related. When you’re a busy family caregiver, you’re often more concerned about everyone else, but it’s important to focus on these ideas for yourself.
Eating Big Meals Late in the Day
It’s a pretty common problem. You’ve been running around meeting everyone else’s needs all day and you realize it suddenly. You forgot to eat. All day. So you wolf something down, but it’s much later than you thought and you were way hungrier than you thought. The problem is, that big meal so late in the day can be exactly what your body doesn’t need. It’s too busy digesting all that food to help you get to sleep. Not good.
Indulging in Caffeine Too Late
The one thing you did get plenty of was coffee or another source of caffeine. You needed it, right? Especially since you didn’t have time to eat much of anything. Caffeine can keep you running, all right. The problem is, after a certain time of day, it may just keep you running all night long. Learn how to cut yourself off by a specific time in the afternoon. You might need to experiment since everyone has different sensitivities to caffeine.
That Nightcap Before Bed
You may find that a nightcap, or an alcoholic drink, before bed helps you to relax, takes the edge off, and gets you to that slightly woozy state where you feel you can hit the hay. Unfortunately, alcohol can interfere with your sleep schedule. Also, it doesn’t take long before a little bit doesn’t have the same effect and you need a little more. Then a little more. And if you’re not careful, you’re having more than you expected regularly.
Consider a Small Snack
While a big meal can be too much for your body to deal with before bed, a small snack can help a lot. Consider a mix of protein and carbohydrates, such as a small apple with a tablespoon of peanut butter or a bit of lunch meat with some cheese. Something small is all you need.
Being a family caregiver can often mean that you don’t always have as much control over some of these factors as you’d like. But the more you can stay on top of them, the better condition you’ll be in for your caregiving duties.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering Reston home health nursing to help with memory loss issues, please contact the caring staff at Trusted Touch Healthcare today. We make seniors’ lives better! Call today (301) 272-5140.
