I had a bad night, waking up every hour. I’m not alone. Seniors and insomnia seem to partner-up with aging. The National Institute of Health estimates 50 percent of adults age 60 and older experience insomnia. Fortunately, I am able to get back to sleep but many seniors can’t or don’t.
New research points out just how important sleep is to mental and physical health. For everybody, but even more so for seniors. And, especially for anyone looking to reverse aging.
Why do so many seniors suffer with chronic insomnia? The American Journal of Medicine reports that:
More than 50% of elderly people have insomnia, it is typically under-treated, and non-pharmacologic interventions are underused by health care practitioners.
Seniors and Insomnia
Chronic insomnia is defined as that which occurs at least three nights per week and lasts at least three months. People with insomnia tend to have difficulty falling asleep (onset), staying asleep (maintenance), or they wake up too early in the morning. Common causes include changes in the environment, unhealthy sleep habits, certain medications or another medical issue.
It turns out that a sleepless night may cost you more than a morning of grogginess. Scientists at UC Berkeley’s Sleep and Neuroimaging Lab have discovered evidence that missing deep non-REM sleep may leave the brain more vulnerable to memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease. (Alzheimer’s disease, one of the most pervasive and debilitating forms of dementia, has been diagnosed in more than 40 million adults to date.)
Adequate Sleep for Seniors
What exactly is adequate sleep for seniors? Most of what I have read states we need seven to eight and a half hours. Others state that a full eight is better for seniors. Here’s the biological process:
Your body has a built-in diurnal circadian rhythm, which is regulated by the daytime hormone cortisol, which governs your stress responses, and the nighttime hormone melatonin, which is produced by the pineal gland. People lose their natural levels of melatonin beyond the age of twenty―particularly people above the age of 40 or 50 who produce little melatonin. There are huge variations depending on how much stress is in one’s life. The more high-strung a person is, the more stress, and the more difficult it is to fall asleep and sleep through the night.
On top of that biological component, there is the question of good or bad sleep habits. Some people have no problem disciplining themselves to go to sleep between 10:00 and 11:00 p.m. Others are so used to their late-night activities (reading, watching TV, being online, playing video games, and writing novels) that they finally drop into bed at 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. That makes it difficult to get enough shut-eye.
A lot of hormones are reset during the deepest phase of sleep, triggered by melatonin. Even our telomeres, the caps on the ends of chromosomes in every cell, get shortened with stress and too little sleep, and shortened telomeres mean a shortened lifespan. If you struggle with sleep deprivation here are a few tips.
Try Supplements
Here’s what to do about the problem of seniors and insomnia. Because we have a decreasing supply of melatonin, Rob and I take supplements about a half-hour prior to bedtime. I take five mg and Rob takes 10. We are more likely to get some good REM sleep when we take it.
There are other natural supplements such as GABA (500 mg strength) available at health food stores. GABA combined with melatonin should help in more than 80 to 90 percent of insomnia cases. Of course, always check with your doctor first.
Ask your doctor and go online to research the side effects of prescription sleep medications, as many of them can be addictive and affect memory. Melatonin and GABA are safe. Prescription sleeping pills have multiple side effects for seniors, including memory problems. In my opinion, a last resort to treat insomnia.
Avoid Alcohol
Alcohol is commonly used as a sleep aid. Although alcohol can help a person fall asleep more quickly, the quality of sleep is compromised. Drinkers beware and be informed. Irregular sleep isn’t the only bad result with regular drinking. It raises the risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s. Yes, I know, small doses of red wine are recommended for health and longevity. It’s just that few drinkers are truly moderate to the degree they say, from my observations.
Alcohol also tends to worsen the symptoms of sleep apnea, which further disrupts sleep. It also is a contributing risk factor for dementia (not to mention that it disrupts others sleeping in the room). While it may be tempting to treat insomnia with alcohol, in the long run, it simply doesn’t work.
Sleep Deficits and Memory Deficits
Anyone who has ever racked up a nasty sleep deficit knows that it ruins your capacity to recall information. There’s a good reason for this. During deep sleep—also known as slow-wave sleep, when the brain is experiencing non-rapid eye movement—memory “traces” become reactivated, which triggers communication between the hippocampus and the cortex.
The communication between these regions of the brain helps maintain the neuroplasticity that is required to “cement” long-term memories in the cortex, which can be retrieved hours or years later.
Trying to induce those slow waves in the brain with a sleeping pill is tricky―and getting it wrong can exacerbate memory problems.
Experts advise that the easiest way to overcome sleep issues is to exercise regularly.
In the long term, chronic insomnia and sleep deprivation may lead to a host of other health problems, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even early mortality. Don’t ignore your need for quality sleep as you age. Get more exercise, don’t eat after dinner, and use some of nature’s natural supplements to help get a good night’s rest.
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