Sleep Hygiene

HeatherWendt

I have been trying to be consistent with my sleep routine and have had some issues since I slightly changed my Carbidopa/Levodopa dosage in March. I have been keeping a sleep journal and noticed a few things I would like to share.

1. Most important is going to sleep and waking at the same time every day
2. Have a wind down routine at least an hour before you are hoping to go to sleep.
3. Don’t drink fluids after 7pm because if at all possible, you don’t want to get up to the bathroom during the night. I realize for some of you that’s not possible, but try. If you do get up, DON’T look at the clock!! If you do, you start calculating how much time you have left to sleep, etc.
4. It’s best to have your bedroom as cool and dark as possible. This means charge your electronics in another room.
5. Some people say to have your room completely quiet, but I need white noise or I don’t sleep.
6. Try to keep serious conversations on heavy topics out of your evening routine. A little comedy is good actually. 

These are some of the basics you will see everywhere. Now I want to suggest a few things you may not have thought about.

• Don’t have caffeine after 12 noon. This isn’t just coffee or tea. It could be chocolate, sodas, even these new probiotic carbonated beverages. I just discovered the one I was drinking has “natural” caffeine which is equivalent to a cup of coffee. No wonder I wasn’t tired at my usual bedtime and couldn’t get to sleep!
• I have been doing a non-scientific recording of my sleeping patterns and have noticed (I have REM sleep disorder) that when I do the Power for Parkinson’s exercises, I don’t yell out in my sleep. This is just one of her many workouts and happens to be a shorter one. If I go for a walk or do some other exercises that don’t have the cognitive component, I may yell out in my sleep. 
• Also, if you have REM sleep disorder, try sleeping holding a pillow. It doesn’t have to be a big body pillow, just a standard size or smaller should work. I use a satin pillowcase on my head pillow so I can move my head easier on the pillow. There are some fairly inexpensive brands (NOT Blissy!) Bedsure brand is under $10.
• Listen to soothing instrumental music for at least 20 minutes before you go to bed. KTLF radio out of Colorado Springs has Christian instrumental music after 8pm every night on a program called Reflections. They have an app and there are many soothing bedtime apps that you can listen to. I think one is called Calm.

Finally, I wanted to share a product I have been trying out called Yu Sleep. The jury is still out for me about how effective it is. It’s a product that is liquid and I put 2 droppers full under my tongue (one at a time of course) 30 minutes before I go to sleep. I will let you know if I think it works. Of course, there are sleep teas and other soothing drinks that you can drink in the early evening that are helpful.

If you have any ideas that help you, please share them. I know most of us deal with fragmented sleep that is not restorative and we wake up without the benefits of deep, restorative sleep. You all know we can move better, think better and generally have a better mood after a good night of restorative sleep.

I would also appreciate any feedback you think might be helpful.