Care Giver Support

Self-Care – Tips on Taking care of your self when you have to care for someone else

Type 1 never sleeps (nor do other chronic illnesses). And so neither do we. We are tired and we are tasked with making critical decisions every day, hour, minute that keep our loved ones alive. We are so focused on taking care of them we forget about what we need or just cannot find the time to do it.

We hear every day about the importance of sleep and I know first hand that sinking feeling of hearing non-stop of the ill health effects of reduced sleep and how I feel in the morning after a particularly bad night. Especially, when it really is completely out of my hands! we know it’s important but what can you do if it is not available to you?

Tips: make small tweaks to your routine

• Go to bed earlier – aim for 7 hours overall, so need to get to bed earlier in case you are up many times in the night
  • Studies show that lack of sleep even contributes to increased rates of diabetes!
• Nap ‘Right’- research suggests that naps are ok but can actually harm you if not ‘done right’
  • 15-20 min only and only before 2pm
  • Sleeping after 2pm and you can harm your sleep schedule
  • Sleeping longer than 20min can send you into a spiral of exhaustion – it does for me!
  • Turn off your devices so you can get to sleep quickly
    • I know you hear it all the time! Do you know why?
      • The light from the phone or other lights like the TV, actually trick the body into staying awake!
      • That’s why you can spend hours in front of the TV binge watching or playing video games – no light and you would be asleep!
  • Switch to caffeine free tea or coffee after 1pm – no caffeine after 2pm
    • Depending on how you metabolize it, it can stay in your body for many hours after you consume it
• Try to make time for you!
  • I know first hand how hard it is to find help to care for your chronically ill one to even go out for a short while – try to find help and support by connecting and joining community groups on social platforms think about putting an ad out for a babysitter that you can train in the basics
  • Eat well & time your meals right – when you eat affects diabetics and non-diabetics!
  • Unfortunately you need to make extra efforts to stay healthy when your sleep is not great as we all know you cannot afford to get sick!

I can work with you on some customized lifestyle approaches, foundational supplementation, immune support and sleep rescue so you can get as much rest and reduce your stress as much as possible. I know how you are feeling!