Testicular cancer: 6 tips to improve sleep

Many people that have cancer find it difficult to sleep. That is because not only can the treatment of the disease create anxiety and uncertainty in the person’s life, but these, in turn, can disrupt sleeping habits and create insomnia. Here are a few tips for behaviours that will help create a relaxing environment for sleep if you keep tossing in your bed.

Medically reviewed by Urologic Oncologist Dr. Robert J. Hamilton on 11/22/2022

Give your sleep hormone a chance to do its job

Melatonin, your sleeping friend, is secreted by your body when you are in the dark. Hence the importance of lowering the intensity of the lights at the end of the evening and reducing your exposure to blue light – emitted by tablets and cell phones – in order to increase and facilitate the secretion of your hormone to help you fall asleep. The same is true for LED lights, which produce harmful blue light as well.

Blue light confuses the biological clock and affects that circadian cycle that tells the brain when it is time to sleep or be awake. When you spend too much time in front of a screen before going to bed, falling asleep becomes be difficult.

Going to bed and getting up at the same time and adopting a sleep routine is a must!

Sleep is affected by rhythm. If you constantly change the time you go to bed and wake up, the biological clock gets disrupted and it is more difficult to fall asleep. To keep a good sleep pattern, you should always try go to bed and wake up at the same time, 7 days a week. You should set aside 1 to 2 hours before going to bed to decompress: read a good book, listen to soft and calm music, avoid hot baths or sporting activities. The only exception accepted in your bedroom aside from sleeping? Sex or masturbation.

Avoid “sleep debt”

We all know that financial debt can cause stress, which then can cause insomnia. However, we are not talking about financial debt here, but rather sleep debt, which is a term for a series of bad nights. The more sleepless nights you accumulate, the harder it is to fall asleep. Do not be deceived: a day or two of sleep will not solve the problem. Instead, they will only disrupt the system further. A better solution is a routine of good night’s sleep.

Try to relax

Mindfulness meditation is one of the relaxation methods that can help you to sleep better. It allows you to escape the thoughts that occupy your mind and prevent you from sleeping. A number of free applications are available that help you try this relaxation method that can be effective when waking up and when going to bed.

You cannot fall asleep? After 30 minutes, get out of bed, and do a relaxing activity, dim light (reading, drawing, etc.) until you feel drowsy, then go back to bed. In addition, limit naps to a maximum of 60 minutes before 3 p.m. Longer naps later in the day can take away a portion of your deep sleep that you should have at night. Consequently, they can induce fatigue and heaviness that one feels the next day.

Avoid alcohol and coffee

If you are experiencing sleep problems, take it easy on coffee and alcohol late in the afternoon and in the evening. The residual effect of caffeine can last for more than six hours after you consume it, which will likely prevent you from closing your eyes. Alcohol is a false friend of sleep because if after a few drinks you quickly go to sleep, the rest of the night, you would be tossing and turning, feeling agitated, and getting dehydrated, until eventually you wake up early in the morning.

Seek professional advice

Considering taking melatonin as a supplement? You could, although there are few studies on its effectiveness or harm. Talk to your pharmacist if you are considering over-the-counter sleeping pills. Prescribed sleeping pills should only be taken a few nights a week. If you take them every day, you shouldn’t go beyond 4 to 6 weeks. If the problems persist, do not hesitate to seek the help from your doctor. He/she will be able to advise you on the appropriate medications that can help with your sleep, especially if you are under treatment for testicular cancer.

Sweet dreams buddy!

Take the necessary time to visit each of our pages on this website to familiarize yourself with the disease. Do you have questions or concerns? Above all, do not hesitate. Contact us via Messenger on our Facebook page. It’s simple, free and confidential.

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ADMINDecember 9, 2022Comment