What keeps you up at night? In this episode of #thiscaregiverlife we explore insomnia related to caregiving, tactics to help you cope, and resources you may find useful. We also read an excerpt of writing from caregiver and listener, Theresa Coomer. Read Theresa's blog, Peanut Butter in My Purse and Vitamin C in My Pocket: https://coomercaregiving.blogspot.com/.

If you're like a lot of caregivers, you likely find yourself saying "I'm exhausted", or "I can't sleep through the night".  Fall asleep or waking up and being unable to return to sleep plague caregivers like us! Here are a few tactics shared by other caregivers that may help:

• use a meditation or sleep assistance app


• practice mindful breathing


• listen to white noise/nature sounds-here's our favorite: https://amzn.to/3v98F6d 


• speak with your primary care physician - some caregivers benefit from taking supplements like melatonin or changing their diet


• practice good sleep hygiene, aka healthy habits such as getting up at the same time every day and keeping your room cool


• try aromatherapy such as an infuser, oils, Vicks patches, or using a laundry detergent like DIVA

We also review a book this week! Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, PhD. Lots of great tips in this book. My favorite is, "if you fall asleep reading this book, it's a compliment!". You can purchase the book here for under $15 on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3sCon8l. 

Thanks for joining us and we hope this episode helps you get some much-deserved Zzzzs! -Mar & Jenn