10 Ideas to Sleep Better After Stroke

Recovery after stroke can be a cruel game to play.

The two things that stroke survivors are most often told will improve their recovery – sleep and exercise – are both dependent upon one another and can be made more difficult due to the effects of stroke.

The physical impairments from a stroke that make routine exercise more difficult are obvious, and visual to anyone.

But when it comes to sleep, the challenges and frustrations may only be noticeable to those you live with.

According to a report published by the American Heart Association, sleep problems, including insomnia, are more common among stroke survivors than the general public. Overall, it’s estimated that 70 percent of people who experience traumatic brain injury report difficulties sleeping at night.

Is Sleep Good For Stroke Recovery?

A good night’s sleep is unequivocally one of the most important things that can improve recovery after a stroke.

Matthew Walker highlights this in his book ‘Why We Sleep.’

“We have now discovered that the slow, day-by-day return of motor function in stroke patients is due, in part, to the hard night-by-night work of sleep … Ongoing sleep quality predicts the gradual return of motor function, and further determines the relearning of numerous movement skills,” Walker writes.

“We have now discovered that the slow, day-by-day return of motor function in stroke patients is due, in part, to the hard night-by-night work of sleep … Ongoing sleep quality predicts the gradual return of motor function, and further determines the relearning of numerous movement skills.”

Matthew Walker

However, when restless nights are prevalent, stroke recovery often feels like a 24-hour frustrating cycle of disappointment.

My Challenges with Sleep After Stroke

Like many others, my struggles to sleep following stroke have been incredibly discouraging.

Throughout the first two years after stroke, consistent sleep was hard to find. I felt lucky to sleep through the night for two consecutive days.

Most nights, I had no problem falling asleep, but around 1:30 a.m. I would wake up and be demoralized when I looked at the time and saw I was wide awake in the middle of the night again.

As most anyone can attest –whether you’ve had a stroke or not – not only do you feel physically worse the next day after not sleeping, but your mood suffers as well.

For me, the first couple of years of stroke recovery felt like I was playing whac-a-mole. Should I sleep through the night, the next day I’d be able to do more and I felt like I was making progress in recovery.

However, should I wake up at 1:30 a.m., the next day would be incredibly challenging, often leaving me feeling like my recovery was moving backward.

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Ten Ideas to Sleep Better After Stroke

In the years following stroke, I experimented with several different strategies to improve the quality of my sleep and hopefully improve my recovery after stroke.

Today, I sleep better than I did before my stroke and the impact on my recovery has been significant. Most noticeably, the irritability and mood swings that plagued the first year and a half of recovery have faded away as I started sleeping consistently through the night.

We’re all familiar with some of the most common advice for sleeping better, such as avoiding electronics before bed and establishing a nighttime routine. Beyond those principles, what follows is a list of the most impactful practices and supplements that have helped me sleep better to varying degrees.

I hope one of these ideas might be as helpful to you as it was to me. *They are listed in no particular order.

1) View Morning Sunlight

Preparing to get a good night’s sleep can start as early as when you wake up in the morning.

Getting outside to view morning sunlight after you wake up for as little as 5 to 10 minutes can benefit your internal circadian clock.

This simple practice sets in motion many critical bodily functions that impact how and when we sleep, such as when our melatonin levels rise in the evening.

2) Sunset Walks

Our circadian rhythm is heavily impacted by sunlight and temperature. The colors from the sunset will help stimulate melatonin release, so getting outside to take a walk or just sit and relax as the sun is setting is a great way to tell your body and brain that sleep is around the corner.

Additionally, I’ve found this practice to be incredibly helpful in the winter months when it gets dark around 4:30-5 p.m.

This isn’t geared toward sleep, but winter can be a dreadful time for stroke survivors. Not only does the cold exacerbate some physical ailments from stroke, but seasonal depression can affect anyone.

Helping my body adjust to the time changes using sunlight has significantly helped to lift my mood during the winter doldrums.

3) Have a Consistent Bedtime

Matthew Walker’s book Why We Sleep explains the critical functions that our brain carries out while we rest and includes several great ideas to improve sleep.

However, Walker says one recommendation stands out above the rest.

Going to bed and waking up at the same time of day “is perhaps the single most effective way of helping improve your sleep,” he writes.

Even after a rough night of sleep, Walker suggests going to bed at a normal time the next day rather than trying to fall asleep a few hours earlier in an attempt to “catch up” on lost sleep from the night prior.

4) Omega-3 Supplements

Research indicates that omega-3 supplementation can help both children and adults sleep better.

3g of liquid fish oil a day– split into two servings – put an end to my issue of waking up in the middle of the night.

I’ve used both Carlson and Nordic Naturals fish oils, but found Nordic Naturals to have better taste.

5) Magnesium Glycinate

Magnesium Glycinate — also known as Bisglycinate — is another supplement that research indicates may improve sleep quality.

I’ve used magnesium both before and after my stroke and in my experience, my dreams are much more vivid when I take magnesium before bed.

6) No Caffeine After Noon

This was a significant post-stroke change for me as an afternoon coffee or energy drink was previously routine to help me get through the work day.

However, caffeine can stay in our system for up to 8 or 10 hours, making that late afternoon coffee a possible impediment to falling asleep.

7) Take a Hot Shower

Temperature is an easy way to impact your circadian clock. Considering our core body temperature drops throughout the night, taking a hot shower about 90 minutes before bed is an easy way to support this process. After the shower, your body will begin to naturally cool itself as you prepare to go to bed.

In his book The Age Proof Brain, Marc Milstein cites the 90-minute timeframe because that gives the body enough time to adjust and be at the right temperature for sleep. Studies have shown this practice helps people not only fall asleep faster, but also helps them to get “a more restful and effective night’s sleep.”

8) Nasal Breathing During Sleep

This practice has been so beneficial for me, I dedicated a whole blog post to it.

Mouth taping has greatly improved the quality of my sleep, giving me the ability to exercise more consistently and more intensely than I believe I could have in recovery without it.

The impacts I’ve experienced from this simple practice have stretched far beyond stroke recovery. Practicing breathing through my nose has cleared up a lifelong congestion issue where previous medications and treatments fell short.

9) Tart Cherry Juice

Research indicates that drinking tart cherry juice can increase melatonin levels, as well as increase sleep time and sleep efficiency.

Beyond improving sleep, there is evidence that tart cherry juice may also aid in recovery from exercise.

Obviously, you don’t want to be chugging cherry juice before bed because then you’ll be waking up all night to use the bathroom, but sipping on cherry juice in the hours before bed has had a noticeable impact for me.

My favorite is Cheribundi’s PURE Tart Cherry Juice.

10) Yoga Nidra

Whenever I’ve woken up and struggled to fall back asleep in the middle of the night, nothing has been more effective in helping me calm a racing mind than a Yoga Nidra meditation.

For some, a Yoga Nidra meditation may also be a way to relax before bed.

This practice has been incredibly helpful for me and I’ve written a blog post about my experience and the potential benefits of this practice.

Finding Deep Sleep After Stroke

Getting a good night’s sleep is unquestionably one of the most important things a stroke survivor can do in recovery.

Unfortunately, a common side effect of stroke is trouble sleeping. In turn, every other aspect of recovery is subsequently made more challenging than it already is without a good night’s sleep.

The ten strategies I outlined above have all made a positive impact on my recovery after stroke in helping me to sleep better.

I hope one of these ideas may apply to your recovery or provide the inspiration to pursue another strategy that helps you sleep better after stroke.

*The information provided on supplements on this page and others on this site is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Consult your physician before starting any new supplement regimen.