Sleep is something we all need but don’t always get enough of. This is especially troublesome if you’re fighting cancer and dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. If you’re experiencing insomnia, rather than sleep being a relief, going to bed may become a dreaded activity. The anticipation of lying there for hours, staring at the ceiling, tossing and turning while not being able to drift off, is frustrating.
Insomnia may be accompanied by anxiety, anger, depression, and other feelings that affect your healing and wellness. You might be facing financial challenges from medical bills that keep you awake at night. You could be dealing with side effects of medication that keep you up at odd hours. Caffeine and stress often make things worse. Because lack of sleep suppresses your immune system and harms your body, you need to take action to overcome the issue.
Thankfully, there are steps you can take to reduce your odds of experiencing insomnia during your journey with cancer.
You already may know that keeping your bedroom cool, limiting your caffeine intake for several hours before you go to bed, and drawing the shades to darken your room help. Other suggestions include journaling, keeping the same bedtime habits each night, and turning on a white noise machine. You might want to consider cognitive-behavioral therapies as well. This may include visualizing a runaway train on the tracks and changing your thought process to derail it. Such action reminds you to stop in your tracks and not let your fears run away from you, preventing you from going to sleep. Perhaps you want to talk with your oncologist about your insomnia. They may prescribe a nonaddictive medicine to help.
Getting an adequate amount of sleep is required for your body to heal from cancer. If you or someone you know is fighting the disease, get in touch with Chix 4 a Cause. Learn more about our Gifts of Love program at chix4acause.org today.
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