A lot of Geezers who move to Costa Rica find their sleep patterns change. I have identified the reasons:

• Retirees are generally sleepy/lazy.
• Motos, roosters and dogs and music and chatter. Ticos love their loud motorcycles, loud chickens, loud music and loud chatter.
• Geezers drink more wine.
• They watch more computer screens. One of the downsides of getting rid of paper books. Waking up in the middle of the night and reading a computer screen won’t make you tired.
• Boomers drink more beer.
• The sun sets at 5:30.
• Coffee in Costa Rica is just so darned tasty. Hot or cold.
• They drink more liquor.
• Crappy health. Cause and effect, intermingled. There are all kind of diseases that can screw up your sleep.

continued degradation of performance, mood worsens and essentially all hormones in the body become imbalanced. Spontaneous pain increases. Immune system suppression kicks in: we are less likely to mount a response to a flu shotor a hepatitis B vaccination, and are more likely to catch a common cold orpneumonia. So, in addition to your flu shot, consider getting some sleep before and after. Glucose metabolism is altered in ways that increase obesity and diabetes risk. In the long-term, we know that a “lifestyle” of sleep deficiency is associated with many chronic conditions, including hypertension, cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes and early mortality.

If you’re not living in Costa Rica and are finding yourself sleep deprived, the New York Times Boomer section has a long series of stories plus Q & A about why boomers aren’t sleeping well.

Not getting enough sleep – or the right kind of sleep – has a huge impact on Geezer health and quality of life. It’s worth your time to read up on why you need to improve your sleep.

It’s a skill I have worked to perfect for many, many years.