Assisted Living Helps Establish Healthy Sleep Patterns

Everyone knows that sleeping is important for feeling healthy and boosting your immune system. The old adage says that you should try and get eight hours of sleep per night, but this isn't necessarily the case for everyone. Eight hours is just an average time, you might require more or less, depending on how your brain is hardwired. Some people can even get by on as few as five hours per night. For senior citizens, getting enough sleep is especially important because of the effects that it can have upon their health. Seniors will naturally see the strength of their immune system decline as they get older-sleep can help to recharge this part of your health. If you are already struggling to stay health, consistent and beneficial sleep is going to be very important towards maintaining a good level of health.

In an assisted living facility, sleep can become a bit easier to get. There are fewer stressors when you live in a facility and this can make falling asleep a whole lot simpler. In addition to this, there are other things you can do to maximize your sleep time. Creating healthy habits is going to be extremely important here. For example, even if you are prone to waking up early or tossing and turning, keeping yourself on the same bedtime schedule each night will be helpful. For example, if you are trying to compensate for a bad night's sleep by going to be earlier than normal, you might be putting undue stress on yourself. Going to bed to early might actually lead to more tossing in bed and you face the possibility of staying awake even longer than you would if you went to bed at your normal time.

Another habit to get into is to not exercise too late in the afternoon or evening. Working out might exhaust you muscularly, but exercise revitalizes the brain. If you exercise later in the day, your brain might be wired when it comes time for bed-thus making you stay up later than what is healthy. Experts recommend that you do not exercise within the four hours prior to bedtime. Exercise is important, but you want to get it in a healthy fashion, not one that will be detrimental to other aspects of your health.

Finally, you want to limit your alcohol intake. A glass of wine might make you feel sleepy, but you do not want to overdo it. If you want to drink (as long as it's in moderation), have a glass of wine with your dinner, rather than right before bed. Alcohol can interrupt our healthy sleep cycles, so you want to make sure that you are indulging yourself in a positive fashion.

Assisted living can play a big role in your sleep patterns. The structure that this service provides to senior citizens can improve your sleep patterns and this has the potential to improve your health. If you are looking for extra help, this is definitely something that you should take into account.