How Assisted Living Can Improve Sleep Habits

Many senior citizens suffer from sleeping problems, but new research indicates that more than half of all seniors report sleeping for 7.5 hours or more per night. This is great evidence that sleeping habits do not necessarily need to change as we age. Sleep is extremely important for people as it helps reduce stress, recharge our immune systems, and keep us mentally healthy. These points are extremely important because as we age, all of these things can become worse, especially when it comes to the immune system. Senior citizens will naturally see their ability to fight off sickness and infections decrease as they get older. Staying healthy should be a big priority and getting the right amount of sleep can help here.

If you suffer from sleeping problems, you might be able to correct them by moving into an assisted living facility. Being in a structured setting can help you stick to your routines more easily, and this includes going to bed at a reasonable hour. When you are in a group of people, it becomes a lot easier to do the little things that will keep you healthy. Assisted living can help you eat healthier, get more sleep, and get more exercise-all of these things will be big steps toward improving your overall health levels. Think about it this way, when all of your friends retire for bedtime, you are more likely to go to bed too.

Assisted living might take a few days to get used to, especially if you have grown accustomed to being on your own for many years. Once you adjust to the changes in your lifestyle, you will most likely be much better off. Assisted living can help you to reduce your stress levels-this might be the root of your sleeping problems. If you don't have to worry about cooking meals, doing laundry, and cleaning up after yourself, you can focus on the things that you really enjoy. Once these stressors are taken care of, you might be able to nod off at a reasonable hour and start getting healthier amounts of sleep.

There are also some mental benefits to living in assisted living, and these also can help with the improving of your sleeping habits. When you are less stressed and around your friends, you are less likely to suffer from depression. Depression has a nasty reputation for ruining sleep habits-it can make you sleep way too much or way too little. Both of these things are unhealthy. But when you are happier, sleep is more likely to come in healthy doses. For these reasons, the mental health benefits created by assisted living are pretty hard to duplicate outside of the facility.