From insidehook.com/longevity
Sleep quality starts declining far earlier than most people realize — and understanding why could help you preserve it
Perhaps it’s because they’ve seen it all, but elderly people usually aren’t shy about making dark jokes. One of their stereotypical bits doubles as an explanation for why they wake up so early: They’re running out of time.
But in truth, sleeping less as you age is not just about making it to water aerobics at the crack of dawn. It’s a well-documented biological phenomenon.
Studies show that sleep efficiency, REM sleep and slow-wave sleep can decline with age, and experts agree that these issues can start sooner than we think. “Decreased sleep efficiency and deep sleep can begin dropping even in your twenties,” warns Dr. William Lu, a physician and medical director of the digital sleep clinic Dreem Health. For the sleep-challenged, this raises yet another question to keep you up at night: Do I have insomnia, or am I just old? The two are connected — and it’s complicated.
The Hormonal Havoc of Aging
There are a number of overlapping factors that influence sleep and aging, which scientists are still figuring out how to separate. What they do know is that hormones play a big role. For instance, our pineal glands produce melatonin, a hormone that’s crucial for maintaining your circadian rhythm. But this gland becomes calcified as we get older, causing it to release less of the hormone.
Likewise, human growth hormone, which is produced by the pituitary glad throughout childhood and peaks during puberty, is “tightly linked” to deep sleep, according to the research. "As we age, there’s less natural production of growth hormone and in turn less deep sleep,” Lu says. This potentially accounts for studies that suggest less deep sleep puts people at an increased risk for dementia — a risk that elevates as we age.
As for whether aging causes sleep issues, or sleep issues exacerbate the effects of aging, it’s less a chicken-or-egg issue and more of a two-way street. The bad news is that both of these things can be true at once…and likely are. Lu and other specialists believe that sleep loss makes health problems related to aging worse. “The effects of poor sleep can lead to neurologic, cardiac and psychological issues,” he adds. At the same time, sleep disorders that may have been present from a young age, such as insomnia and sleep apnoea, “can definitely be worsened by advancing age as well.”
Due to this inseparable nature of aging and sleep, though, experts also suspect that quality sleep could delay the effects of aging — similar to the way fasting and exercise have been found to do the same. The challenging part? Figuring out how to rediscover that quality sleep in the first place.
Good Sleep Habits Are Anti-Aging
“I can’t stress enough the importance of maintaining healthy habits,” Lu notes. These include the “avoidance of alcohol prior to sleep, exercise, diet, getting sunlight during the day and healthy sleep habits such as maintaining bed and wake times daily.” Deep breathing and relaxation techniques such as the military sleep method and autogenic training can similarly induce sleep.
Of course, there are always going to be aspects of aging that complicate sleep. Beyond hormonal shifts, issues like chronic illnesses and musculoskeletal pain can make it difficult to get comfortable and unwind. Plus, retirement can alter your schedule in a way that disrupts your sleep and wake times; and the grief that normally accompanies old age — from the death of a spouse, a friend or other loved ones — can cause stress and sleepless nights. On top of all that, you can’t force your glands to make more melatonin, and studies have found that the efficacy of supplementation “remains marginal.” That said, if you already have insomnia, sleep apnoea or other sleep issues in your twenties and thirties, realize that your body is primed to only make them worse with time. That’s why Lu emphasizes the importance of getting a handle on these problems sooner than later.
Finally, since sleep is connected to hormones, it’s worth noting that men and women experience age-related sleep loss differently. Women may have sleep declines related to menopause, whereas men can experience insomnia from low testosterone. As a result, the appropriate treatment could differ. “For men, it may be worth it for them to also speak with their primary care providers to talk about symptoms that may result from sleep loss,” Lu says. “Tailored therapies can be recommended.”
One such therapy — backed by strong evidence and useful across genders — is a form of cognitive behavioural therapy designed specifically for insomnia. This treatment helps reframe the thoughts and anxieties that often prevent people from falling or staying asleep.
Whatever you do to get your sleep under control, it’s important to put the realities of rising and grinding in your twenties and thirties into perspective. While late nights and early mornings seem important for your professional and personal development, the notion that you’ll sleep when you’re older is a false promise. So don’t be afraid to spend a little more time in bed — you might find the fountain of youth in there.
No comments:
Post a Comment