Caregiver Cambridge MA
Being a family caregiver can sometimes mean that your own needs take a lower priority. If one of those needs that has a lower priority is sleep, however, you need to rethink your priorities.
Your Immune System Weakens
When you’re not getting enough sleep, your body can’t keep your immune system bolstered. As you sleep, your body produces proteins, called cytokines, that are helpful in fighting infections and other attacks on your body. Your body also produces greater numbers of antibodies and white blood cells when you sleep. If you’re not sleeping enough, your body can’t keep up with what your immune system needs in order to protect you. That leaves you more vulnerable to infections like the common cold when you’re going about your daily duties.
You Might Be at Greater Risk of Bigger Health Problems
Newer studies have also proven that your body faces other, bigger health problems when it’s deprived of sleep. Diabetes, heart disease, and obesity are all just some of the larger health issues you can face if you’re chronically sleep-deprived. Once you develop these problems, they can be manageable but you’ll still have to deal with them for the rest of your life.
You Can Become More Forgetful
Lack of sleep keeps your brain from working as well as it should be, too. Your brain takes the time you’re sleeping to do some of the same things that a computer does. It “backs up” information from your short-term memory to your long-term memory and processes all the information you’ve collected. If your brain is deprived of enough sleep, it’s not going to do any of that efficiently and you’re going to feel much more forgetful as a result.
What You Can Do
First figure out why you’re not getting enough sleep. If you’re simply not letting yourself get the rest you need, adjust your schedule and stick to it. If there are medical reasons for your inability to sleep, you need the help of your doctor to find the right solution. Making your sleep a priority can help you to avoid lots of other issues, so it’s important to focus on solving the problem quickly.
Getting too much sleep when you have extra time isn’t the answer. Develop a slow and steady plan to get the right amount of sleep for you.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Caregiver Services in Cambridge MA, or anywhere in Eastern Massachusetts, please call the caring staff at CARE Resolutions – (508) 906-5572.
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