Grief, Sleep, and Health
After funerals at funeral homes in Monticello, FL, grieving family members may find it difficult to go to sleep, get enough sleep, or to get quality sleep. It is normal for most grieving people to experience some difficulty sleeping.
Processing the loss of someone you love is very stressful and emotional. Because of this additional stress, you may find your ability to sleep and the quality of sleep that you get when you finally do sleep is adversely affected.
An on-going lack of sleep or poor quality sleep can result in sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation is be hazardous even in performing normal day-to-day activities, such as driving or working around heavy equipment, because accidents are more likely to happen. Sleep deprivation also allows toxins to start accumulating in the brain, which can eventually lead to cognitive impairment and dementia.
However, there are measures you can take that may help you sleep better.
One inhibition to sleep is tension and anxiety, which can keep your brain in high gear all the time. Find something that relaxes you and puts your mind to ease. Develop a nightly bedtime ritual where you call it a day and you don’t do anything but the things that allow you to relax. One thing that will help is to disconnect from all electronic devices (including television) at least two hours before bedtime. Hot decaffeinated tea can be soothing while you do relaxing things. This gives your mind a break from the reality of your loss. A warm shower taken right before going to bed can also relax you and help make falling to sleep easier.
Your bedroom should be a place that makes sleep inviting. If your spouse has died, the bedroom you shared may make you feel lonely and sad. Makeover the room by painting the room a different color, moving all the furniture around, and purchasing new bed linens and window treatment to make the bedroom into a new room. If this is not in your budget yet, you should move to another bedroom in the house and make it your own.
If you decide to transform your bedroom, be aware of the effects of different paint colors. The most calming color, according to research is blue, so you could pair a lighter shade of blue with a light tan color (earth tone colors are also calming) could make your bedroom more inviting to sleep in. While bright, vivid colors on your bedroom walls may seem like a good idea because they’d elevate your mood, they can also stimulate your mind, which will make it harder to fall asleep and to sleep well.
Good sleep is more likely when you exercise daily. Exercise helps alleviate stress and burns energy, which can decrease restlessness and how long it takes you to fall asleep. Choose something you love to do for your exercise routine. Incorporate this into your daily schedule – preferably at the same time every day – and do it for at least 30 minutes.
Losing someone you love is very difficult and grieving that loss is very stressful. But you can reduce some of the mental, emotional, and physical toll that grief takes by trying to get healthy, restorative sleep every night.
For resources that can help with sleep after funerals at funeral homes in Monticello, FL, our sympathetic and experienced staff at Lifesong Funerals & Cremations is available to help.
