With all that’s currently happening in the world, more and more of us are finding it increasingly difficult to get a good night’s sleep. From an ongoing cost-of-living crisis to unpredictable governmental situations, many of us are feeling stressed and anxious about what the future holds. Meanwhile, stress, anxiety, and depression are the leading causes of insomnia, so it’s no wonder why getting to sleep seems harder than ever these days.
Moreover, sleep deprivation is incredibly common in older adults, with 23-24% of over 60s reporting insomnia symptoms. As we age, our sleep patterns change, and most people find that ageing presents many challenges when it comes to sleep. Not only do older adults tend to find it more difficult to fall asleep, but they also find themselves waking up more frequently during the night and earlier in the morning.
On average, older people wake up around three or four times a night, and the transition is often abrupt, making it more difficult to drift off again. Approximately 85% of older adults have at least one chronic condition wherein aches and pains could disrupt their sleep. Similarly, women over 45 are often disturbed by the discomfort of menopausal symptoms.
Insomnia does not just make us feel tired – it can seep into other areas of our day to day physical and emotional wellbeing.
Insomnia and balance.
Insomnia can affect our coordination and balance, making us more susceptible to falls and other physical accidents. When paired with decreased mobility as we age, over one-third of over 65s experience a fall yearly. While these falls typically don’t cause severe injury, they can be distressing, and getting back up again can be the most challenging part.
In order to help older adults to overcome this struggle, Be You incorporates floor work into our client programmes. This way, older individuals are provided with the confidence they have the flexibility and strength to get themselves off the floor. With this confidence comes less fear, resulting in improved physical and emotional resilience alike.
Insomnia and weight gain.
For our brain chemicals and signals to function correctly, we require quality sleep. As a result, insomnia leads to chemicals in the brain being off balance, meaning we may struggle to know when we’re full. In the absence of this signal, we’re likely to overindulge even when we’ve eaten enough, leading to weight gain. Not only can weight gain impact our physical health, but it can also affect our self-esteem.
Consequently, a detox may be in order when looking to overcome weight gain. The term “detox” can sound intimidating, as it’s so often linked to hardcore diets and intense workouts. Despite this, a detox is merely adjusting your drinking and dietary habits while introducing gentle movement into your daily routine!
In addition to dietary advice and movement guidance, Be You can also provide Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD). This gentle, light-touch massage improves the body’s lymphatic system’s cleansing abilities, making it one of the best-kept secrets for aiding a detox. When paired with dietary changes and increased movement, the effects are sure to make you look and feel great.
Insomnia and aches and pains.
Quite simply, our immune system can’t perform well if our bodies are deprived of sleep, resulting in more aches and pains. On top of this, as we age, our muscles get tighter, our ligaments and tendons lose flexibility, and we take longer to heal from injury. Not only are aches and pains physically strenuous, but they can make us feel emotionally exhausted.
One of the best ways to loosen muscles and increase flexibility is to engage in gentle movement daily. Similarly, our MLD services can also relieve muscle tension and aid recovery.
Days without aches and pains will make you feel as though you can take on the world both physically and mentally!
Overcome the effects of insomnia with Be You.
Whether anxiety is being a detriment to your sleep schedule, or you simply can’t doze off like you used to, Be You is here to help.
