5 tips to improve sleep

[RobertoME]

Hello everyone, I found an interesting post from my friend @AndreaFitbit about how to sleep better. Her post is in our Spanish forums, so I wanted to talk about it on this board to hear what are your best practices to conceive a better sleep.

Tips that I found more interesting are: 

1. Adopt a sleep schedule. Get up every day at the same time, even during the weekend. This measure allows to keep the rhythm of the sleep. Also try to sleep at the same time each day.

2. To get more energy, try to perform some dynamic activity when getting up and it is important to have a nice and nutritive breakfast.

3. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and other chemicals that interfere with sleep. As a coffee lover, I know caffeine is a stimulant that can keep you awake. So avoid caffeine for four to six hours before bedtime. Similarly, smokers should refrain from using tobacco products too close to bedtime.

4. Avoid having electronic devices around like the TV or the mobile phone, as this could be potentially distractions to sleep and rest well.

5. Try to relax at the end of the day, at least 30 minutes before bedtime. Here you can take advantage of the new feature: Guided Breathing Sessions of the Charge 2.

In my case I have the bad habit to sleep while my TV is On. Usually I don't see any interesting show or movie that could distract me from my sleep, but sometimes is hard to catch a good rest whit the flashing light of the screen flickering all over the room.

So comment below what are your best practices to sleep better.

[Esya]

@cjsbabygirl

Did you discuss that the medication is causing insomnia for you with your doctor? Maybe there is an alternative to your current medication that works better for you.

[cjsbabygirl]

@Esya - yes, it's a breast cancer medication; and the only one I can take because of the type of cancer I had; my oncologist put me on Lorazepam because other sleep aids weren't working - and sometimes even then the Lorazepam doesn't work.

[Esya]

@cjsbabygirl

I am very sorry to hear that you are going through that and wish you all the best. I am not a doctor nor do I have to take medication, so I can only talk from my own experience regarding sleeping poorly, which was caused mostly by anxiety. What I learned is that the more I worried about not sleeping enough, the worse my sleep would be. But I am not sure how this applies to your situation.

[Riversidedawn]

cjsbabygirl I hear you! I was on tamoxifen last year but couldn't bear the side effects. Changed to zoladex and anastrazole - even worse! So been hormone free since August 16. Stopped sleeping tablets in January as had been on them a year - sleep still a nightmare. Fitbit reckons good night is 5 hours, bad nights about 45 mins! Lucky if I average 2.5 hours per night over a week. Working mum with 2 kids, dogs etc really need a bit more sleep! 

[Riversidedawn]

Question how much you need those meds. Are they really necessary? What benefits do they have compared to insomnia, weight gain, hot flushes, mood swings, depression...... quality of life is important 

[cjsbabygirl]

It's either stay on the meds and deal with the side effects or risk the
breast cancer returning. 😞

[Riversidedawn]

Cjsbabygirl, yes it's a dilemma,  I'm taking the risk with my oncologist's blessing (although he did want me on drugs for 10 years  originally)

[Changingmylife]

Can u take melatonin pills? Also, you can buy magnesium powder 1 tsp to a 8
oz cup make like hot tea, once fully dissolved water should appear
clear...sip til done...makes me sleepnlike a baby!!!

[cjsbabygirl]

Wish my oncologist felt that way. He feels that my ONCA (?) score was too high to risk it. Hence the lorazepam to sleep.