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Seeing as how my most recent blog yesterday was about playing a video game, you wouldn’t think that today’s blog post would be about perimenopause symptoms. Well, that shows what you know about today’s gaming statistics. According to Statista, a 2022 survey showed that 27% of the videogaming population is 45 and older, not an amount to sneeze at. I grew up playing videogames. I played my first games on the Atari 2600 console in the early eighties (Frogger and Pitfall were my favorite games). So, yeah, the point is, I’m middle-aged, and I play video games.
Now that I’m middle-aged, I’ve found that my sleep patterns have become disrupted. As I was chatting with my health coach today, we both talked about being in our forties and waking up around 2 to 3 in the morning. So, I started to do a little Google research and saw that “Sleep problems can start during perimenopause,” according to John Hopkins Medicine. The problems can be caused by hot flashes (which seemed to be the cause of my own problems, given that I usually wake up drenched in sweat) and the onset of sleep apnea.
Of course, I shouldn’t self-diagnose with the aid of Dr. Google. I’ll definitely be bringing up these issues with my physician. In the meantime, I have spent a lot of time researching how to improve my sleep habits. I’ve already written about my weaning off of my nighttime use of my phone. In addition to that, here are the things that I do to make my sleeping environment as comfortable as possible:
No phone. This single strategy has made falling asleep so much easier for me. I feel so much more rested when I wake up in the mornings.
Read a book. This activity has now taken the place of scrolling on my phone. As I turn the pages of my book, I can feel my eyes getting heavier.
Keep a journal by my bed. Sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night, it’s because of anxiety. Instead of reaching for my phone, I now spend a few moments writing down my thoughts in my journal, which immediately helps to bring down my stress levels. I also use it to jot down story ideas, which has been very enlightening!
Clean and comfortable sheets. Having clean sheets and changing them so that they appropriate for the season has helped to keep me as cool as a cucumber when I go to bed.
Lavender spray. About 15 minutes before I go to bed, I spray a spritz of this spray into my bedroom. I’ve now begun to associate that smell with sleep, and as soon as I smell it when I go to bed, I instantly feel relaxed.
White noise and a small fan. There isn’t a ton of research that says white noise (or what I listen to, brown noise, which is a deeper sound than white noise) helps to put you to sleep, but it does for me. The small fan adds a layer to that noise and helps me with my night sweats.
Light-blocking curtains. I’m super sensitive to light when I sleep. I invested in a good set of light-blocking curtains, and I couldn’t be happier.
These tips have definitely helped to make my bedroom a mini-oasis where I am comfortable and primed for sleep.
How about you? What are your hacks for getting a better night’s sleep?
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