Insomnia due to caregiver burnout

yearofthedragon

If you have experienced insomnia due to caregiver stress and burnout, how did you fix it? I havent been able to sleep in two weeks and I am very concerned. I know not sleeping is bad so please do not tell me the dangers, just tell me solutions if you have any!

I have already tried: melatonin sleep aids, non-melatonin sleep aids, teas, chamomile, cannabis, exercise, yoga, yoga nidra, the list goes on. I am 35, single, no friends, been caregiving for 9 years and currently full time caregive my mom who has dementia while we wait for the memory care facility to have an opening.

fmb

I can empathize with your struggle. It seems like the insomnia feeds on itself as it is added to the regular list of worries, creating a snowball effect. What works best for me is getting into a very comfortable position in bed and practicing mindfulness and relaxation exercises. I repeatedly gently bring my mind back to focusing on my breathing and muscle relaxation. This isn't easy for me, my mind is like a beagle in a yard full of squirrels LOL! I also pray, but have to guard against letting my prayers be just a barrage of worries directed to God. I try to concentrate on prayers of gratitude.

You mention that you are single and have no friends. Caregiving is such a lonely experience, especially for the full time caregiver who begins to be almost a prisoner in the home. This forum is a good place to share the burden with others who understand. You may want to consider finding an online, real-time support group, too. When I was full time caregiver for my DH in the home, I had a couple of cyber-friends with whom I could email about everything under the sun. It helped immensely to not have the "All Alzheimer's-All the Time" channel running in my head.

Quilting brings calm

Have you tried keeping a pen and paper next to your bed and making notes if everything that pops in your head? Things like ‘ I need to do, I want to do, need to check on, what about’ etc. that way at least the ‘ don’t forget about’ switch will turn off in your brain.

Stop all screens ( except maybe kindle) a few minutes before bed. No TV or screens in bed ( except maybe kindle). Blackout curtains. Fans ( for both coolness and white noise).

If you have allergies, take your antihistamine at bedtime. Don’t take your decongestant within 4 hours of bedtime.

GAcaretaker

I am also someone that is sleep deprived since living with my Mom. The blackout curtains helped a lot with me, it also cut down the outside noise (The head of my bed is at the window). I did try writing down my thoughts when waking up at 3 am- it did help, I didn’t go back to sleep for a couple more hours. But, I have only tried this a couple times. Right now the thing that puts me back to sleep is listening to a sleep hypnosis guy on YouTube. I did have to go through a couple of them before I found the right one. Most of the sleep hypnosis things that you can listen to have high pitches to them, so I have to find ones low tones. If you try this route, pick one that last many hours. Usually the short ones will end and there will be a very loud commercial at the end and it usually wakes you up.

M1

the thing about the loud commercial made me laugh….! Thanks for the chuckle.

housefinch

I love the Smiling Mind app. It’s free. It’s from Australia, so the narrators all have Australian accents, but once I got used to that, I found it soothing. It has excellent sleep meditations. I have a stepparent in hospice with AD & my 2 children have autism, so I need something to help me stop thinking at bedtime. I hope it helps you, too 💕

JM27

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/70167/insomnia-due-to-caregiver-burnout

Hi,

so glad you posted this. I thought I was the only having this issue.
I have used ASMR soap cutting videos and those help sometimes. But it is hit or miss.

I have only had my LO full time for almost 4 weeks. I am the full time caregiver and before moving him in with me I would by and forth once a month to go check on him.

I am suffering from anxiety anyway let alone the daily issues that arise and the sleep deprivation.

I work a full time job from home as well.
im trying to check out facilities for my LO but that is on hold due to a recent covid out break on the one that I was interested in.

I hope your able to find some relief with the insomnia.

SusanB-dil

Is there a way to get some respite while you are waiting for a place to open? Especially if that could be a while, but I hope the wait is short for you. Maybe just getting away from everything for a little while? Is there a daycare center near you? While there, you could just get away to a park, a library, etc. Even better if you could get away for a full few days if possible.

yearofthedragon

Thank you so much everyone for your great tips. I did end up getting respite for a few days (4 days staying at my sister's house alone while she stayed with my mom) and slept like a baby… I cut caffeine those days and I think that has a lot to do with it. I also just installed new blackout curtains and got a humidifier running bc the air is so dry here (las vegas) and I am not used to this climate… I have lived here for almost 2 years but its still harsh on my body. I hope everyone here takes care. Thank you again for all of your helpful tips.

SusanB-dil

So glad that helped and you got some good sleep. Yes, you need to be careful and take care of you.

Now that she has seen first-hand the 24/7 care, I hope maybe sis could help out a bit more, as she is able, until mom is placed?

Hang in there - she is blessed to have you.

Lucy C

A couple of things to try: Get off the caffeine completely if you can. Reduce sugar intake. Drink a lot of water. Do not use any screens at least 3 to 4 hours before bedtime. If you are blue light sensitive, and many people are, those screens will do a serious number on your sleep. Try to do exercise in the morning, and a warm bath in the evening.

Hope you find a routine that works well!