Today’s Guest Post is from Teresa at Mental Health for Seniors. Losing a spouse or partner can be devestating. In this article, Teresa offers us some tips on how to lesssen one aspect of grieving – insomnia.
Losing a spouse or partner is one of the most stressful events in a person’s life. The symptoms of grief are wide ranging, but one that many people struggle with is insomnia. When you’ve lost your spouse, it can suddenly be difficult to fall asleep in the room you once shared as a couple. Grief-induced insomnia isn’t just uncomfortable, it’s dangerous for your health.
The American Heart Association notes that sleep deprivation has many effects on a person’s physical and mental well-being, including stress. Learning how to manage that stress can be the first step in getting that all important good night’s sleep.
Working through grief-related insomnia is just that: work. You can’t rely on sleeping pills to get your body back on track. While these medications can certainly help, the sleep isn’t restorative, so you’re not actually getting the rest your body needs to reboot and recover.
The best way you can overcome your grief-induced insomnia is by building a regular sleeping pattern with healthy bedtime habits that relax the body and mind for a truly restorative night.
However, as a widow or widower adjusting to the loss of a spouse, Secrets of Aging explains that it may also help to make some changes to the bedroom environment to make it more comfortable during this difficult time.
Remove Electronics
Electronics don’t have to keep you awake if used productively. You can find smart devices that provide reminders of when to get ready for bed (usually an hour before bedtime is the time to settle down), play white noise or other noise to soothe your sleep, or run apps for meditation or music to ease you into sleep.
Out of all the multifunctional areas in your home, the bedroom should be the one space dedicated to rest and relaxation. Avoid activities in there that may cause stress—in particular, no working in the bedroom.
If you keep a desktop or notebook computer in your room, it’s time to find a new spot in the house for it. Late-night electronics use can interfere with your circadian rhythm, as can the blurry line that separates work and personal time, especially if you work from home.
Similarly, remove the television from your bedroom if you have one there. The blue light that TVs, cell phones, and tablets give off can trick the brain into thinking it is daytime, which makes it difficult to shift into sleep mode.
Watching TV, checking your email on your smartphone, or reading a magazine article on your tablet before bed are some of the worst activities that can negatively affect your ability to fall asleep.
Instead of watching TV or spending time on your smartphone before bedtime, practice some stress-relieving activities such as deep breathing, meditating, and taking a warm bath.
Change the Color
Painting your bedroom a relaxing color is a great way to cultivate more calming energies in the space. It’s also a nice way to make the room “yours” after losing your partner. Sometimes, a bit of a fresh start can be helpful when it comes to processing grief and moving on in a healthy manner.
When looking for colors to paint your bedroom, stick with earth tones and cool colors that are conducive to sleeping. Also, try to avoid bright hues and wallpapers featuring busy patterns.
While these touches can be fun in rooms that need a lot of energy, such as the kitchen, too much visual noise in the bedroom can be unsettling.
Relax Your Body and Mind
Grief affects our bodies in many ways. We generally expect the emotional pain of the loss, but don’t underestimate the mental anguish of anxiety or regret or the physical aches and pains. At times, it may feel like your heart — and your body — are literally broken. In these moments, try calm stretching, like yoga or tai chi, that can also help calm your mind. But if you feel the aches and pains persist, consider working with a physical therapist or chiropractor to help target specific problems to provide you some relief.
Breathing exercises and meditation can also help your body and mind relax. It is normal to feel uncertain about the future, and worry about many aspects of your loss. These worries can keep you awake and make your body feel tense. Look into meditation apps to reduce your anxiety and help you to sleep.
Professional Help
When dealing with grief, it can be challenging to work through it by yourself. Many turn to professional help in the form of therapy. It’s not always easy to find a local therapist who’s available and works with your schedule, however, which is where an online therapist can be of great help. Meeting with a therapist online in the privacy and comfort of your home can help you find tools and resources to move past your grief. And should the need for medication become a concern, a therapist can refer you to a licensed physician online as well.
Upgrade the Mattress
Buying a new mattress that supports your individual needs ensures that your back has the best support, so you don’t wake up with aches and pains. When looking for the right mattress for you, Restonic suggests looking for models that boast spinal alignment and support as top features.
A supportive mattress will ensure that your back doesn’t dip in weird angles throughout the night, resulting in neck and back pain that will ruin your day. Back pain doesn’t just make it more difficult to get through the day; if it persists, it makes it much more difficult to fall asleep the next night. Avoid falling for overly plush mattresses and look for units where the composition of each layer is dense.
Summary
Losing a spouse is difficult in many ways. One common symptom that grieving widows and widowers experience is insomnia. While establishing a steady bedtime routine with healthy, sleep-inducing habits is key for overcoming insomnia, those who just lost a partner can also benefit from re-outfitting their bedrooms to make it a new environment that is conducive to rest.
We here at Secrets of Aging offers tips and information about how to delay and reverse the aging process. For more information, stay here on our website and look around more or contact us today!
And a big thanks to Teresa for this great guest blog!
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