Jump-Starting Your Day

Many caregivers find it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep at night.  This dilemma can lead to a condition called sleep inertia -- the feeling of grogginess or sluggishness we often experience immediately after waking up.   Sleep inertia can dull memory, slow reaction time, and impair decision-making abilities, as demonstrated in studies by Dr K. Wright of the University of Colorado.  These difficulties may persist for several minutes to an hour or longer after awakening.  Most caregivers wake to a non-stop day and don’t have the luxury of a gradual “wake-up” time, so they need to be especially aware that making important decisions or tackling tasks that require intense focus (such as preparing pill organizers) should be avoided until they are fully awake and alert.

Experts have some suggestions that may help you get out of bed more alert and ready to face the day:

• Stay in bed a little longer.  Allow yourself an extra 10 minutes of quiet as you wake up to allow your brain to clear.
• Let the light in.  As soon as you arise, open the window blinds, turn on the lights, or step outside into the morning sunshine when weather permits.  Light will help you to wake up and feel alert faster.
• Get moving.  Take a shower, a short walk or exercise to stimulate wakefulness.
• Engage in conversation.  Talk to someone!  The back- and-forth dialogue will pep you up and rejuvenate you for the day.
• Have a caffeinated drink.  This stimulant has the ability to block the chemical in the brain that causes drowsiness.  Coffee contains the most caffeine, but other drinks (including hot chocolate) do as well.  Within 20 minutes you should feel an improvement in memory and reaction time, according to a study in Austria.
• Eat something.  Breakfast will jump-start your brain and improve your memory.  High-fiber foods, such as oatmeal, are packed with glucose , the brain’s main fuel.
• Take a whiff.  A few drops of essential oil of peppermint on a handkerchief and take a sniff.  That will boost brain activity in the area that controls wakefulness, as established by Dr B. Raudenbush at Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia.

Caregivers need all the rest they can muster.  Naps may become a part of the daily routine for both the caregiver and their loved one.  Keeping your nap to less than 25 minutes will help to avoid post-nap sleep inertia and prevent the night-time sleeplessness that longer naps may produce.