I noticed my fatigue got worse as the caregiving years went on, and I'm not sure if it is due to my natural aging and/or caregiving? Do you think caregiving has caused me to wake up tired (unrefreshed), as many days I wake up tired? Does this happen to you folks? How many days a week would you estimate that you are tired and how much do you think caregiving affects your energy levels? In other words, before caregiving did you have more energy and less fatigue?
I believe we become emotionally and physically spent. Forget about exercising, I just don't have the will power to do it any more. I find myself dozing off in front of the TV, usually the last 15 minutes of murder mystery, not knowing who done it. Plus we tend to get stress related medical issues. Getting cancer didn't help, and developing a heart issue threw another wrench into the works. I feel older than my own parents who are in their 90's.
And how I long for the times back when I could sleep 6 to 7 hours without any worry.... now I find myself awake at 3 in the morning, can't get back to sleep because my mind is racing, so I look for something to watch on TV. Thank goodness for ME TV and those great old shows.
But seriously though get yourself medically checked out too, you could have a nutritional deficiency or sleep apnea. I'm seeing the doc soon myself.
I am exhausted usually by late afternoon and find myself falling asleep at 9:30 no matter what I am watching.I always fall asleep right before the killer is revealed in a murder mystery too..then awake in the middle of the night and start worrying. I would love to be able to sleep for a full 8 hours completely uninterrupted!
Before caregiving, I had an abundance of energy. I'm only 51 and feel like Jessie... I've aged 20 years and it shows. Cept I did it in 2 years!
One thing I just started out of desperation but seems to help calm down my racing mind is to listen to meditation tapes at night when I go to bed. I went through several until I found a couple that I really like. One on breathing helps me focus on getting the air in and out of my lungs. When I am paying attention at something so simple as my stomach going up and down, I don't think about all the crazy things going on. I seem to be better able to get to sleep rather than worry.
And when I wake up during the night after he gets up to go to the bathroom or tosses and turns, I turn my phone back on to listen to those meditation tapes. Really helps.
Make sure the environment in your bedroom is conducive to good sleep hygiene.
+ comfortable temperature for you
+ dark room (I use a sleep mask as I need night lights)
+ comfortable mattress and pillow
+ a humidifier to keep the air moist and my dry nose doesn't wake me up
+ background noise of the humidifier is soothing
+ sleepytime tea or some other herbal supplement that helps you relax
+ avoid caffein and alcohol before bedtime
Look for any and all things that help you sleep. That is the most important factor in keeping your health.
See All Answers