Val devotes this episode to sleep because difficulty falling asleep and waking up in the night are common experiences for caregivers. Val shares that getting enough sleep supports a healthy immune system, cell repair, learning, memory consolidation, and it helps us maintain a healthy weight. Poor sleep lowers metabolism and affects the hormones that regulate hunger and appetite.
Val offers a few tips for sleeping that worked for her. First, she explains the "legs up the wall" technique and how to do it. Next Val shares a compilation of sleep hints from Michael Brues, PhD, and author of the book, The Power of When. Dr. Brues has divided people into Chronotypes, which helps individuals learn the best time of day for their behaviors related to sleeping.
Val shares the hints from his book she has found most helpful. They include a morning routine, information about caffeine intake, an evening routine, and ways to get back to sleep after waking in the night.
Val also shares her experience with using the Dreampad Sound Pillow. This was her favorite way to improve her sleep.
Val encourages caregivers to make it a priority the get the best night's sleep possible, whether it includes room darkening curtains, and eye mask, noise cancelling earbuds, or a DreamPad pillow.
For this episode's cheer, Val leads listeners through a good night hug, and ends the podcast with "Good night Sweetheart!"
Additional information and links can be found at:
https://www.caregiverteatime.com/
Look for the full version of Val's theme song, Nothing But the Good Things on your favorite music streaming service now!
