Fighting Fatigue with Healthy Lifestyle Choices

 

Image by Zaytsev Artem 
via Creative Commons

Anyone who is a teacher understands the shock that happens during the transition from summer to fall.  It happens every year. Usually, I try to keep pieces of my summer schedule once classes start up again.  I have learned to stay home during Labor Day weekend so that I can adjust my back-to-school schedule to be more realistic.  It's hard to let go of numerous exercise classes, lots of reading, working in the garden, and having lunch with gal pals. Nevertheless, some of that needs to be trimmed back. 

I found that this year, I had more fatigue than usual. Is my age a factor? 

Note: This post should not be used as medical advice. It is only meant to raise awareness. If you have any questions about being tired, sleepy, or fatigued, you should see a licensed medical professional. 

These types of habits help me combat fatigue, which I think are good for people of all ages: 

Sleep-inducing Foods

Photo by nonelvis.

Just as some foods and drinks can cause insomnia, others can help induce sleep.  My own experience tells me that oatmeal over warm milk and topped with walnuts and a banana makes me sleepy. But after doing some reading, I have greater insight into why these foods make me sleepy.

This post is part of a series on insomnia.  

Emotional Causes for Insomnia

Photo "Scratching" by Kevin of sheep counting people

As promised, here I am writing about insomnia.  Yes, midlife women might have a bit more trouble sleeping during perimenopause, but the causes can be complex and might affect women and men of all ages.

Let me focus first on emotional causes for insomnia and some basics on how to 1) identify an emotion 2) trace its origins 3) neutralize it, and 4) gain habits that prevent or remove insomnia-inducing emotions before bedtime.

1. What emotion am I feeling? People can experience a variety of emotions that interfere with sleep--anger, fear, worry, sadness.  Even positive emotions such as euphoria can prevent people from getting a good night's sleep.  When I have trouble sleeping, I do well to reflect on the emotions I am feeling.   Here is the Plutchik Wheel, just one list of emotions, some of which interfere with sleep:

Image of the Plutchik Wheel by Machine Elf 1735

Multiple Causes for Insomnia

Photo by Eric.

I figure if I'm having regular trouble sleeping, I might as well start a series of blog posts (one per month) on insomnia.

As a midlife woman, I can expect to have a little trouble sleeping. However, I don't want to resign myself to lack of sleep without trying to understand it better and address it.

And not all sleeping problems are due to age-related causes including menopause. People of both genders and all ages experience trouble sleeping from time to time.

So instead of just counting sheep, I'm going to read broadly about the topic and share my findings with others here on my blog.

At first glance, I have learned that there can be a variety of causes of insomnia. I could never list them all, but a quick sort tells me that the cause might stem from one or more of the following areas:

• Poor sleep environment
• Poor sleep schedule
• Eating Insomnia-inducing foods
• Not eating sleep-inducing foods 
• Exercise problems
• Insomnia-inducing Medications
• Psychological Disruptions 
• Emotional Disruptions
• Menopause / Perimenopause
• Acute Physical Problems
• Chronic Physical Problems

I will post information about a few of these causes. By the end of this series, I hope to have fewer sleepless nights. 

Related: 

Logging More Sleep
Sleep-inducing Foods

Logging More Sleep

Photo by BSmith4815.

Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Boomer Voices program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product. 

As a midlife woman, I've got a long list of responsibilities, and even though I'm tempted to skip sleep in order to get more done, I am wise enough to know that the fall out is never worth pulling an all-nighter.

Been there, done that, got the sleep-deprived t-shirt.

Photo by JenavieveMarie

I think the last time I skipped sleeping by design was in the late 1980s as a graduate student. Now I try diligently to get adequate sleep.

Shifting hormones, however, sometimes rob me of a full night's sleep.

Morpheus, you elusive god of sleep!

I'm trying a number of things to safeguard my sleeping habits: