Senior to Senior: Is Worry Keeping You Awake

Many of us have taken worrying to the next level; it isn’t surprising that we can’t sleep. Night time is the perfect time to worry. The house is quiet, the television is off, and the computer is in sleep mode. Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone had a “sleep mode”? At the moment, past worries seemed trivial when compared to the serious things that are going on in the world today. Stress and anxiety now need to be dealt with on a daily basis, and quite frankly, they lead to many sleepless nights. Physiologically speaking there is a good reason for this. When your brain senses that you are in danger it goes into a special mode; it literally screams “stay awake and watch for the enemy.” Poor sleep habits are nothing new; worriers were screwed up long before the pandemic came along. Scientist have been telling us for years that we need to sleep more, but the quick fixes that they offer sound way too complicated. Sleep Researchers go so far as to tell us that if we don’t sleep more, we will die, sooner rather than later, which isn’t exactly reassuring. What if, instead of “worrying” about not being able to sleep, we just accept that sleep is a natural phenomenon. Think good thoughts: • Focus on positive thoughts; list three good things that have happened to you each day. • Make a to-do list ahead of time. Knowing that you have a plan means that you don’t have to worry when you should be sleeping. • Wind down with a good book, meditate, or sip a cup of herbal tea. Good sleep is as important to health as good food and good exercise. Why then is it so hard? Maybe you need to stop trying so hard. Listen to your body. If you start yawning, or if your eyelids feel heavy, or your muscles ache…go to bed. If you are not sleepy or if you have too much on your mind, then engage in some other activities to help you relax. With age comes wisdom, right? Does worry really accomplishes anything?