Counting Sheep or 
Just Counting the Minutes? 
A Senior's Guide to Catching Zs!

Do you remember the good old days when your head hit the pillow, and you were instantly transported to dreamland? For many seniors, falling asleep quickly has become a distant memory, replaced by staring at the ceiling and wondering if the ceiling fan has always made that weird clicking noise.

How long should it take you to fall asleep? The scientific term for this is "sleep onset latency." According to Sleep.com, as we age, this latency slowly increases, averaging about 20 minutes for older adults. If you are passing out before your head even hits the pillow, you might be sleep-deprived.

But if it takes much longer than 20 minutes, you might struggle to get the recommended 7 to 8 hours of shut-eye, a recommendation verified by the Sleep Foundation at SleepFoundation.org.

Falling asleep on schedule is crucial because it helps us enjoy the deep, restorative stages of sleep. Otherwise, your sleep is too brief, and you wake up feeling like you just ran a marathon in your pajamas.

  If you are tired of tossing and turning, the remedy depends on what is keeping you awake. Try experimenting with these natural, lifestyle-tweaking methods to fall asleep faster:

1. Synchronize your schedule.  Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Yes, even when you do not have to be anywhere! You are training your body to know exactly when it is time to get drowsy.

Revamping Your Lifestyle 
(Or, How to Trick
\Your Body into Sleeping)

2. Eat lightly at night.  Avoid heavy, spicy, or high-calorie meals right before bed unless you enjoy midnight heartburn gymnastics. If your stomach is grumbling, opt for a piece of fruit or a warm glass of milk.

3. Master the art of relaxation.  Deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation are great ways to hasten sleep. Visualize pleasant images, like your online business booming!

4. Get moving.  An active lifestyle works wonders for sleep. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and FamilyDoctor.org suggest aiming for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise each week. Just do not do it right before bed!

5. Break up with your clock. Staring at the clock and stressing about how little sleep you are going to get is a guaranteed way to stay awake. Resist the urge to calculate how many hours you have left until morning.

6. Evacuate the premises. If you cannot relax, get out of bed. Go to another room and do something incredibly boring. Now is the perfect time to read that appliance manual you saved from 2012.

7. Limit the fun stuff (alcohol and caffeine).  Cut back on cocktails and coffee, especially later in the day. Coffee after 2:00 PM can keep you wired, and while alcohol might make you drowsy, it ruins the quality of your sleep.

8. Keep a sleep journal.  Write down your habits. This can help you spot patterns and give you something useful to show your doctor if you need to investigate medical reasons for your insomnia.

Optimizing Your Sleep Cave

9. Block out the racket. Keep your bedroom quiet. Use a fan or a pink noise machine to drown out the neighbor's dog or those mysterious nighttime house creaks.

10. Embrace the dark.  Darkness tells your brain it is time to sleep. Hang heavy curtains or wear a sleep mask. Conversely, getting plenty of morning light will help you wake up and reset your internal clock.

11. Adjust the thermostat.  The original article suggested 60 to 67 degrees, which is great for younger adults. However, recent research from Hebrew SeniorLife and Harvard Medical School, published in 2023 and cited by HebrewSeniorLife.org, reveals that the optimal sleep temperature for seniors is actually a bit warmer, ranging between 68 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit. A warm bath before bed can also help, as the subsequent drop in body temperature makes you sleepy.

12. Unplug and unwind.  Set a digital curfew. Turn off the TV, tablet, and smartphone at least two hours before bed. The bright screens and late-night scrolling are too stimulating for a brain trying to power down.

13. Inspect your nest. How old is your mattress? It might be time to visit a sleep store to check out memory foam mattresses, weighted blankets, or other sleep aids

If you have tried all this and you are still spending your nights tossing and turning, it might be time to chat with your doctor.

For more information on senior sleep issues, you can check out these helpful sources that were used to verify the facts in this article:

- SleepFoundation.org

- BetterHealthWhileAging.net

- FamilyDoctor.org

- Sleep.com

- HebrewSeniorLife.org

Please share your thoughts and any response you may have in the form below.

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