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Reasons Why You Should Make Sleep A Priority This New Year
There is not a day that goes by where a colleague, a friend or family member don't complain they’re either exhausted, lacking sleep or too tired to function. I too am guilty of that! Unfortunately, most Canadian run on low-to-empty; and need to pump the brakes on this bad habit we call routine. To lead a healthier you this 2019, we need to satisfy 3 fundamentals - nutrition, physical activity and sleep. These 3 key factors along with weight and stress management all make up a healthy way to start the new year and lay an excellent groundwork for the rest of the year. Continue reading to learn why sleep should be the first area you concentrate on.
Quality and regularity
To improve your sleep, focus on regularity and quality of sleep. Most adults need at least 7 hours of nightly sleep to function and be productive while others need up to 9. Whatever your magic number is, set a regular bedtime that is early enough for you to achieve those hours and commit to them on a nightly basis and wake up at the same time every day.
While the number of hours is important, so is the quality. What you eat and your sleep environment can diminish your sleep quality. Avoid heavy, hard to digest foods and sugary drinks (including alcohol) in the evening. Remove or limit common sleep distractions like TVs, devices, bright and even hot sleeping environment.
Sleep and your body
Healthy sleep keeps your body running like a well-oiled machine. Proper sleep aids the body to maintain healthy body weight, contributes a strong immune system to fight disease and infections such as colds or Type 2 diabetes. Sleep also promotes cellular repair, increases physical performance, reaction time and personal safety keeping you alert to react to your surroundings.
Sleep and your mental wellbeing
Those who prioritize sleep health can make better decisions, are more resilient to emotional rollercoasters, mood swings and have better coping mechanisms. Those lacking quality sleep are prone to feelings of anxiety and depression.
If you’re not convinced by now, proper sleep also keeps your mind as sharp as nails. Sleep increases communication and fosters creativity at work and at school leading to academic and professional success. Long term sleep deprivation on the other hand results in forgetfulness, increased errors and overall poor performance.
If you require professional help to increase your sleep health, speak to your physician. They may have solutions to help pinpoint ongoing problems that prevent you from sleeping well.
Make healthy sleep one of your top priorities for 2019!
How Age Affects Your Sleep
True or false?
Compared to younger individuals, older adults need less sleep?
If you answered true, you are incorrect! Older adults need an average of 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night - the same as their younger counterparts. Contrary to many misconceptions, the amount of sleep required to stay healthy does not decrease as we age. However, it may be a challenge to obtain all those hours all in a night.
There are notable changes to our sleep as we get older. 50-60% of older adults report they have problems sleeping. In addition to changes in how much we sleep, our patterns of sleep also change.
As we age, our bodies start to produce less melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone that controls the body's natural sleep/wake cycle. It is released in high doses into the blood in the evening to help you feel sleepy and will remain high until the morning.
As we age, we experience a shift in our internal clock and how our body regulates sleep. The window in which our internal clock enables sleep narrows. This can mean we fall asleep earlier in the evening and wake up much earlier than we want to.
Older adults spend less time in rapid-eye-movement (REM) deep sleep and more time in non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep, specifically in the N1 stage, the lightest phase of sleep. This means, as we get older, we may experience less satisfying sleep.
Insomnia is common in adults 60 and older. Insomnia includes trouble falling asleep, waking up several times a night or waking up too early altogether. This can be due to the lack of time spent in REM sleep and also as a side effect caused by other chronic conditions such as arthritis.
The most common sleep disorders that affect ageing adults include Sleep Apnea and Restless Leg Syndrome. Sleep Apnea causes you to momentarily stop breathing - sometimes dozens of times an hour - which prevents the body from entering a deepened state of sleep. Restless leg syndrome is an uncomfortable and uncontrollable leg tingling sensation while you're trying to fall asleep.
Sleep problems often arise, go undiagnosed and untreated simply because many of us believe sleep problems are a normal part of ageing. Luckily, by prioritizing underlying medical conditions, understanding how our sleep changes, and strategizing a good sleep routine and environment, we can all positively improve sleep. It's not all bad news when we age. Sleep improves with retirement. A French study found people were 26% less likely to report sleep problems in the first 7 years of retirement. Vive la difference!
