A year ago my husband’s aorta dissected. Our house was only blocks away from the hospital, and I was able to get him to the Emergency Department in time. Just in time, for my husband was bleeding to death. Surgeons operated on him three times in a desperate attempt to save his life. The first two operations were a temporary “fix” and he continued to bleed internally.
The third operation saved his life, but my husband had a spinal stroke during the 13-hour operation, and it paralyzed his legs. After being hospitalized for eight months he was dismissed to my care. I am grateful for my caregiving experience. My mother had stroke-induced dementia and I was her family caregiver for nine years. In 2007 my twin grandchildren lost their mother and father in separate car crashes, and the court appointed us as their guardians. Suddenly we were GRGs – grandparents raising grandkids.
Now I was my husband’s caregiver and I needed sleep. While sleep problems are common, they are a problem I don’t need. The source of my sleep problem was easy to identify – my husband’s incontinence. Every morning I get up at 3 a.m. help him with self-catheterization. Sometimes the procedure goes quickly, and other times I may be up for 45 minutes to an hour. Once I am fully awake it is hard to get back to sleep.
At 4:30 a.m. one morning I gave up and got up. You may have had similar experiences. Sleep is essential to quality caregiving and these suggestions from a Mayo Clinic website article, Sleep Tips: 7 Steps to Better Sleep, may help you. I have edited the tips and added some personal comments.
- Have a sleep schedule. I try to go to bed at the same every night, between 9:30 and 10:00 p.m. Lately I’ve been striving for the earlier time to get enough sleep.
- Watch what you eat. No spicy dinners for me. Though I like spicy food, I avoid eating it for dinner. Mayo Clinic says you should not go to bed “either hungry or stuffed.”
- Watch what you drink. If I feel like coffee after dinner, I make coffee that is ¼ caffeinated. Avoiding alcoholic beverages is a wise decision because alcohol can wake you up later.
- Create a ritual. Full-service hotels turn down bedding, and I do too. Right after dinner I turn back the bed covers and get out my pajamas, a time-saving tactic.
- Buy comfortable bedding. For some reason, I feel cozy and snug the minute I get under my quilt. I also have comfortable pillows.
Though sleep experts have differing opinions about naps, taking a nap in the afternoon is the only way I can make up for the sleep I have lost. But I am careful to sleep for only an hour. I hope you get the sleep you need and have sweet dreams. If you have more suggestions for getting a good night’s sleep, please share them with other caregivers in the comments.
Sorry didn’t read the article. My thoughts are who can sleep during caregiving – especially if emotions are involved-one eventually collapses….
I realized I am not in control .. it took awhile but I finally got there
I visualize taking off my worries like a big winter coat and walking toward the water’s edge in shorts in the warm sunny breeze