Sleep is an integral part of human life and is essential for a healthy brain. Brain, the most significant organ that uses almost 20% of the total oxygen consumption, needs a sufficient amount of rest and medical support in order to recover especially after a major health condition like a stroke.
Disrupted sleep is one of the common post-stroke effects faced by many stroke survivors. Due to lack of sleep, the brain feels tired after a stroke. Doctors recommend at least 9 to 10 hours of sleep for stroke patients as sleep is the key to a speedy recovery. Making the recovery difficult, sleep disruptions affect many individuals after a stroke.
Lack of sleep not only causes depression and stress but also increases the intensity of the other symptoms such as memory loss, fatigue and nausea. Sleep helps the brain to clean after itself while flushing out the toxins. Sleeplessness may build-up the toxic substances in the brain, further damaging it on top of the stroke.
If you are a stroke survivor who is experiencing excessive sleep, feel blessed and continue to sleep for a sufficient amount of time. If you are a person facing difficulty in getting adequate sleep, seek doctor help. In addition, the following tips and simple lifestyle changes could help you in getting better sleep.
- Relax the Stressed Mind - A stressful mind could never be relaxed and it is next to impossible to make it sleep. Practice various stress relieving activities such as simple physical activities like jogging and walking.
- Meditation and Yoga - Make meditation and yoga as part of your regular life. Especially, yoga shows an enormous effect on sleep disorders as it works as the best medicine to relax the body and mind. Practice meditation and pranayama as they are proven to be best solutions for sleeplessness.
- Air Flow Improvement Using Medications - The breathing patterns may get affected due to the side-effects of a stroke. Check for the blocks and signs of sleep apnea and other breathing disorders to help the individual to have a better sleep. Sleep gets disrupted if the person is facing any breathing issues.
- Develop and Stick to a Daily Sleeping Routine - It is the common sleep tip that could work wonders. Train your body and brain by going to bed at a particular time every day. After a certain point of time, the brain starts feeling sleepy as soon as the clocks tick that time.
- Avoid Sleeping During Day - If you are finding it difficult to sleep at night, never take the naps during the daytime, irrespective of their small tenure. If you just include moderate physical activity (based on the body support), your body drives you to the bed as the time arrives.
- Use the Bright Light Therapy - Stroke may leave your biological cycles disrupted and it may require some effort to catch the rhythm again. Use the Bright Light Therapy technique that helps people to readjust their inner clocks. This is a simple practice that is performed in the bright light of the morning for 30 minutes. This activity also helps in getting vitamin D which helps in better sleep.
In addition, ensure your bedroom is dimly lit, the pillow and mattress are comfortable. Few people respond better to the aroma and music therapy. Try them to see if they are working for you. Keep the room temperature at the suitable levels.
Sleep plays a significant role in the recovery of the people who have survived a stroke. Use these techniques along with medical help for a quality sleep during the recovery stages of a stroke.
