How Aging Affects Your Sleep

It can be such a conversation starter – “I feel like I never sleep anymore!  It is exhausting!”  Usually that statement is met with nods of agreement if your friends are over a certain age.  Is it age itself that interferes with a full night’s sleep?

There are age-related problems when you are trying to get a good night’s sleep. What body and brain systems are compromised because of a lack of sleep?  Sleep loss or chronic sleep disruption have many negative consequences, including adverse effects on metabolism and immune function.  The most obvious of these adverse effects are on the brain.  Cognitive deficits of many kinds are apparent after just one night of total sleep deprivation or when sleep is cut short by several hours every night for a week or more.  Attention, working memory, and the ability to learn and remember decline.  When we are sleep deprived, it is more difficult to speak fluently, assess risks, and appreciate humor.  More importantly, experiments have shown that these cognitive impairments can be reversed.  There is evidence that cognitive deficits caused by sleep loss at night can be prevented or delayed by naps.

Circadian Rhythms

Your circadian rhythm (also known as your sleep/awake body clock) is a natural, internal system that’s designed to regulate feelings of sleepiness and wakefulness over 24 hours.  This complex timekeeper is controlled by an area of the brain that responds to light, which is why humans are most alert while the sun is shining and are ready to sleep when it is dark out.

Your circadian rhythm causes your level of wakefulness to rise and dip throughout the day. Most people feel the strongest desire to sleep between 1pm – 3pm and then again between 2am – 4am — but this can vary from person to person.

Your circadian rhythm can also change as you age. If you follow your natural cues regarding when you go to sleep and wake up, your circadian rhythm should stay balanced, but a change in schedule can disrupt your body clock.  Here are four tips to keep your circadian rhythms functioning as it should:

1.    Stick to a Consistent Sleep Schedule.

A regular bedtime is one part of the equation, but waking up at the same time daily will help keep your circadian rhythm in check.

2.    Go for an A.M. Walk.

In the morning, exposure to the sun (or indoor light) won’t just give you an energy boost, it can also reset your circadian rhythm.

3.    Go for a P.M. Walk.

To unwind after a busy day, take an evening walk. Be mindful that this is the time to relax.

4.    Limit Evening Tech.

Bright lights in the evening hours can throw off your body clock by confusing your brain into thinking it is still daytime. Artificial blue light is the worst culprit, so try to power down tech devices at least two to three hours before bed.

Why Do We Sleep?

Sleep was originally believed to keep us safe at night, conserve energy, and allow our bodies to rest and repair. But as research dug into our brain function while we sleep it uncovered a long list of brain functions that occur.  Our brain is almost as busy while we are sleeping as when we are awake.

Let’s take a look:

·      Clear out toxins.  Dr. Maiken Nedergaard of the University of Rochester Medical Center discovered a system that drains waste products from the brain. Cerebrospinal fluid, a clear liquid surrounding the brain and spinal cord moves through the brain along a series of channels that surround blood vessels. This system is managed by glial cells (a brain cell), so the researchers called it the glymphatic system.  The glymphatic system clears and recycles the brain’s toxins.

·      Repairs daily wear and tear. New research indicates that chronic sleep

deprivation can lead to irreversible brain damage. Short sleep may also be linked to shrinking brain volume. Scientists have concluded that the deeper stages of sleep are crucial for repairing the body, including the brain.

·      Makes order from chaos. As you go about your daily activities, your brain is exposed to thousands of stimuli — auditory, visual, and/or neurosensory. And it can’t possibly process all that information as it comes in. A lot of tagging and archiving of memories goes on at night while you are sleeping. People who think they have adapted well to sleeping four or five hours a night are often wrong; memory tests show they are not functioning optimally.

·      Creates memories. One of the chemicals involved in creating memories,

acetylcholine, is also involved in sleep and dreaming. What happens in people who start to develop Alzheimer’s is the brain cells that produce acetylcholine are destroyed. Interestingly, a side effect of the most used drug to treat Alzheimer’s, Aricept, is its ability to produce vivid dreams.

Sleep Disturbances

The health consequences of sleep disturbances are dire:

·      Emotional – impacts feelings, HPA (Hypothalamus, Pituitary, Adrenal Axis) results in behaviors such as anger, substance abuse, poor motor control.

·      Cognitive – impacts attention, memory, and executive function

·      Physical – reduces immunity, increases your risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and metabolic issues

·      Brain Health – Neurotransmitter Release and Sleep are intimately intertwined. Psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases are often concurrent with some form of sleep/circadian rhythm disruption

Tips for Good Sleep Hygiene

·      Exercise regularly, but not within a few hours of bedtime.

·      Eat a balance diet, and don’t eat heavy meals before bedtime.

·      Practice relaxation techniques at bedtime, such as deep breathing, visualization, and meditation.

·      Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol in the afternoon and evening hours.

·      Set a regular bedtime and waking hours.

·      If you do not fall asleep within 20 minutes of going to bed, get up and do something else until you feel tired.

·      Keep a sleep journal to track activities, food and drink, emotional circumstances, or other factors that might influence how well you sleep.

·      Keep a steady room temperature in your bedroom (not too warm).

·      Avoid reading, conversing, and watching television in bed.

·      Make the bedroom a safe place, with locks on the door, a smoke alarm, a telephone, and good lighting within reach of the bed.

·      Sweet Dreams my Friends

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Reference:

Staying Sharp: Memory and Aging NRTA (AARP’s Education Community and the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives).