A typical day for a caregiver might include
on-the-job stress in the morning, a rush to a doctor�s appointment for
your mother at lunchtime and battling bottle necked traffic in the evening
only to come home and figure out what to cook everyone for dinner. By this
time, your muscles feel achy and you crave the comfort and security of
your bed, but when it�s time to turn in, once again you can�t fall
asleep. Some caregivers exert enough energy during the day to power a
small nuclear submarine, but sleep deprivation is a common problem among a
large percentage of caregivers.
You find yourself balancing your checkbook mentally, wondering if
your boss actually meant what he said and if the planet is really going to
run out of clean drinking water. All the traditional sleep techniques have
been exhausted: you drank warm milk, ate a bedtime snack, avoided caffeine
and took a hot bath. You may have even tried counting those white puffy
ranch animals, but to no avail--another sleepless night.
If common sleep inducing measures don�t work for you, it�s time
to try some unconventional methods. Remember, as with all new ideas, keep
an open mind. After all, the
name of the game is falling asleep.
-
March
of the toy soldiers. Fill
your bathtub ankle deep with cool water and march around in it for a
few minutes. It�s a proven form of hydrotherapy for sleeplessness.
-
A
room with a view. Visualize
something peaceful like dancing butterflies.
-
Time
to exercise. If you
can�t sleep, tell yourself you have to get up and go running,
you�ll be asleep in no time.
-
Herbal
nation. Try one of the
many herbal teas or capsules like Kava Kava or St. John�s Wart; they
could be a safe and effective alternative to traditional sleeping
pills.
-
You
are a poet and you didn�t even know it.
Start writing a well-constructed poem about life in general, it
is a great way to re-focus negative thoughts.
-
Maid-service
for a night. Get out of bed and remake it with all the military
guidelines in effect: hospital corners, exact and even folds and the
tightness to make a quarter bounce. Then get back in bed and your mind
will feel less chaotic.
-
Watch
�em wiggle. Wiggle your toes- keep wiggling, keep wiggling, keep
wiggling����zzzzzzzzzzzzz.
-
Listen
to this. Many stores
today sell tapes, records and CD�s with the sounds of nature like
water flowing, rain falling and ocean waves rolling onto shore. It�s
a form of audio therapy and it tends to relax you.
Just give at least one of these non-traditional ideas a try. The worst thing that could happen is that you might actually
get more than three hours of sleep tonight. You are a caregiver and the
last thing you need is to fight with your pillow another night. If nothing
seems to be working for you, consider seeing a doctor. It could be more
than just anxious thoughts keeping you from snoozing. Good luck and sweet
dreams.
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