"A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in a doctor's book." -Irish Proverb [1]
Usually when you think about the items that are required to survive, you think of water, air, and food. However, there is one major thing missing from that list: sleep. Sleep is as essential as food and water in order to stay alive. When you sleep, your brain spends its time giving itself a really good scrubbing! Think of sleep as an opportunity to unplug your brain and throw it in the washing machine. Neurons keep communicating with each other and work to clean out toxins and tell your body to slow down so it can rest [5]. Getting a good night’s sleep also affects your brain plasticity- which is your ability to learn and adapt based on what you learned the day before [4]. You may be asking yourself what counts as quality sleep. Sadly, there is no perfect number that will ensure you perform at peak performance every day. However, there are recommendations based on your age, which provide a very accurate target range to aim for.
On average, adults require between 7 and 9 hours of sleep [5]. However, as people age, sleeping can become more difficult due to a variety of factors [3,5]. Older individuals tend to wake up more frequently throughout the night and spend more time in light sleep stages rather than deep, restorative sleep [3]. There are many reasons why this can occur, including taking long naps throughout the day, drinking caffeinated beverages late in the afternoon, not getting enough exercise, having certain medical conditions, and even some common medications like alpha and beta-blockers can interfere with quality sleep [3]. The good news is that just because you get older, does not mean that sleep issues are inevitable! If you or someone you know is unhappy with their sleep, talk to your doctor and see what you can do to change that [3].
Quality sleep is key to your current and future health status. Sleep deprivation can lower your immunity, making you more susceptible to illnesses ranging from the common cold to a nasty infection [4]. Sleeping also allows your body to regulate your metabolism, letting your body reset, so missing sleep can increase your risk of developing diabetes [4]. If you suffer from depression, high blood pressure, migraines, or seizures, a lack of sleep can worsen your symptoms [4]. One of the biggest connections is between sleep deprivation and a higher risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s [4,6]. Sleeping for 5 hours or less was found to double the chances of the person developing dementia [6]. It was also found that how long it takes you to fall asleep also greatly impacts your brain. Individuals who laid awake, trying to sleep, for 30 minutes or more had a 45% higher chance of developing dementia [6]. Other behaviors that increased the dementia risk included waking up frequently through the night and also napping often [6].
For individuals that were found to have a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease, it was shown that the buildup of amyloid-beta plaques and tau proteins (the main culprits for Alzheimer’s) slowed down significantly during sleep compared to when the person was awake [6]. This idea is thought to be related to the process of how your brain detoxes itself while you sleep [4,6]! Prioritize quality sleep in order to prevent developing dementia or other health problems. It is also worth mentioning that having a consistent sleep schedule that allows you to get deep rest can improve your mood and lower your stress levels [2]. The research all seems to stack up to one major fact: if you want to have a happy, healthy life then get a good night’s sleep!
If you are someone who struggles with getting quality sleep, it might be worth talking to your doctor, but here are some tips and tricks to try first:
Set a schedule! Go to bed and wake up at the same times every day. Yes, even the weekends.
Get some exercise in during the morning or early afternoon. It is important to not exercise too close to bedtime, but even 20 to 30 minutes of exercise a day can help you sleep better.
Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol close to bedtime.
Turn off those devices and try to do something relaxing. A bath, reading, or anything that is relaxing to you and doesn’t include a screen is a great option!
Set yourself up for success by creating a sleep friendly environment. Your sleeping area should be dark, quiet, cool, and not have any technology like TVs or computers in it.
There is still a lot to learn about all the ways sleep affects us. Research is continuing to focus on the relationships between sleep and different diseases [5]. While the scientists keep working hard to learn about sleep function and regulation, go catch some quality zzz’s to be preventative against Alzheimer’s [5]!
Sources
[1] Forbes Quotes. https://www.forbes.com/quotes/4539/. Accessed May 25, 2022.
[2] Harvard Medical School. Sleep and Mood. Get Sleep. https://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/need-sleep/whats-in-it-for-you/mood. Accessed May 25, 2022.
[3] John Hopkins Medicine. Sleep and Aging: What’s Normal? https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/sleep-and-aging-whats-normal. Accessed May 25, 2022.
[4] John Hopkins Medicine. The Science of Sleep: Understanding What Happens When You Sleep. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-science-of-sleep-understanding-what-happens-when-you-sleep. Accessed May 25, 2022.
[5] National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/patient-caregiver-education/brain-basics-understanding-sleep. Accessed May 25, 2022.
[6] Robbins R, Quan S, Weaver M, Bormes G, Barger L, Czeisler C. Examining sleep deficiency and disturbance and their risk for incident dementia and all-cause mortality in older adults across 5 years in the United States. Aging. 2021(13):3254-3268. https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.202591. Accessed May 25, 2022.