Are You Lacking Quality Sleep? You Might be at Risk for Chronic Health Conditions

Lack of quality sleep can have immediate and long-term effects on health. For older adults, this can mean a higher likelihood of chronic conditions such as obesity and cardiovascular disease, impaired memory, and increased risk of falls. 

Sleep is a cornerstone of health, much like a balanced diet and regular exercise. It's especially critical for ages 55+, who often face unique challenges in getting adequate rest. This article delves into the vital role sleep plays in older adults' well-being and provides practical advice for enhancing sleep quality.

The Critical Role of Quality Sleep in Health

While sleep might seem like a passive, unimportant activity, it's a time when the brain and body are busily at work. Sleep is governed by our circadian clocks. Various hormones and neurotransmitters, influenced by light and darkness, regulate our sleep cycles and orchestrate our sleep-wake cycles. During sleep, we cycle through REM (rapid eye movement) and non-REM stages, each playing a distinct role in health and well-being.

In the non-REM sleep phase, we transition from wakefulness to light sleep, where the body begins to relax, and over to deep sleep, crucial for physical recovery and memory consolidation. The REM sleep stage is characterized by vivid dreams and is essential for processing emotions and memories.

Common Sleep Disorders

Conditions like insomnia, sleep apnea, and restless leg syndrome are more prevalent in older adults, impacting their sleep quality and overall health. Understanding and managing these conditions is crucial for quality sleep. Below are the most common disorders affecting quality sleep:

Sleep Apnea

A disorder characterized by pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while sleeping, leading to disrupted sleep and decreased oxygen levels in the blood. These interruptions can occur many times an hour and are often but not necessarily accompanied by loud snoring. A more severe form causes the throat to collapse, where little or no air can enter the lungs. This results in you stopping breathing to a point where your brain wakes you up to activate the throat muscle again to continue to breathe. All this could happen unconsciously, whereby you wake up for a split second and immediately fall back asleep without remembering any of it. The whole process can occur hundreds of times every night, leaving you unrested and tired in the morning. The constant fatigue leads to concentration difficulties which may also affect different aspects of your life and lead to increased risks to your health.

Sleep apnea may have multiple factors influencing its development, including age, gender, and weight. Men are 2 to 4 times more susceptible than women, while the risk increases between the ages of 30 and 70. It is a treatable condition that involves making certain lifestyle changes, such as losing weight and cutting back on alcohol. Additionally, using a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) device while sleeping can help by blowing air into the throat to prevent it from collapsing. Other treatment options include dental devices and surgery.

Sleep apnea can cause several symptoms, including:

• Poor quality of sleep, which may be interrupted by periods of reduced or absent breathing. This may be accompanied by loud snoring and/or gasping for air

• Daytime sleepiness and fatigue

• Poor concentration, memory, and reaction times

• Dry mouth and headaches upon waking

• Depression and anxiety

• Irritability and mood changes

• Impotence (erectile dysfunction) and reduced sex drive (libido)

• Frequently need to go to the toilet at night 

If you experience any of these symptoms, it's important to talk to a healthcare professional to determine if you have sleep apnea and what treatment options are available.

Restless Leg Syndrom

Another condition that might impact your sleep quality is restless leg syndrome. A nervous system disorder characterized by the need to move the legs. It can be a problem when trying to sleep, as the symptoms usually worsen in the evening.

Often described as a sensation of cramping, soreness or crawling, creeping feeling in the legs improving when moving. Some people even describe the sensation as wiggling insects or mild electric currents inside the legs. Other conditions, including diabetes, iron deficiency anaemia, alcoholism and some forms of arthritis, can also cause the same symptoms. 

Approximately 5 out of every 100 individuals will experience Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) at some point in their lives. Typically, both legs are affected, but it is not uncommon for the unpleasant sensations to occur in only one leg. The severity of the symptoms may vary from mild to moderate, or even severe. In severe cases, the affected person may find it difficult to fall asleep.

Strategies for Improving Sleep

Maintaining good sleep hygiene can help you get the quality sleep needed for a healthy lifestyle. It refers to healthy habits, behaviours, and environmental factors that can be changed to impact sleep quality positively, correcting sleep problems caused by bad sleep habits ingrained over years or even decades. Often, small changes and lifestyle adjustments can work wonders, improving your sleep quality.

Follow your body clock

The internal 'clock' within the brain partially controls our body's alternating sleep-wake cycle. It synchronizes many of our bodily processes, such as body temperature and the secretion of certain hormones like melatonin, which helps with sleep. Therefore, getting a good night's sleep means working with your body clock, not against it.

Here are some suggestions to try out:

• Get up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Soon, this strict routine will help to 'set' and maintain the timing of your body clock, and you'll get sleepy at about the same time every night.

• Tiredness shouldn't be ignored; your body will tell you when it's time to go to bed.

• The same counts also for the opposite: Don't go to bed if you don't feel tired. You will only reinforce bad habits such as lying awake.

• Being exposed to light during early waking hours and catching some morning sunshine helps set your body clock.

Improve your Sleeping Environment

Good sleep is more likely if your bedroom feels restful and comfortable. Suggestions include:

• The right room temperature can make a big difference. This is between 62 and 66°F (17 to 19 °C) for most people.

• A dark room will help you fall and stay asleep. Consider an eye mask if you are a shift worker needing to sleep during the day.

• Buy a pair of earplugs if you can't control noise, such as barking dogs or loud neighbours.

• Refrain from treating your bed like a second living room to watch television or talk to friends on the phone. Only use it for sleep and intimacy so your mind will associate these activities with your bedroom.

• It's worth investing in a mattress and pillow that suits your sleeping needs and provides the correct support level.

Avoid drugs

While some people believe certain sleeping drugs can aid them in sleeping, it is a common pitfall. These could include:

• Cigarettes – Often claimed by smokers that it helps to relax, it has the opposite effect. Nicotine is a stimulant; its side effects are accelerated heart rate and increased blood pressure, which will likely keep you awake for longer. It should be avoided 2 hours before you go to bed or, in the ideal case, avoided altogether.

• Alcohol – Although alcohol is known as a depressant drug, slowing down the nervous system, drinking before going to bed is counterproductive. It might help you initially doze off, but it will disturb the rhythm of your sleep patterns and may include frequently waking to go to the toilet. Leaving you tired in the morning.

• Sleeping pills – Natural or synthetic pills should only be used under strict medical advice and as a temporary last resort. These do not address the underlying cause of the sleep issues and may cause daytime sleepiness and rebound effects where falling asleep without drugs tends to become even harder. 

Relax your mind

In many cases, your mind is a significant contributor to insomnia. A sleep disorder characterized by long-term difficulties with falling asleep and/or staying asleep. Examples are worrying about not getting enough sleep or other anxiety.

Try out the following tricks for a better sleep:

• Chronic bedtime worriers should try to schedule a half hour of 'worry time' well before bed. After that, you should remind yourself that you've already done your worrying for the day.

• Try to relax every part of your body consciously. Start with your toes and work up your way to your scalp. Or concentrate on the rhythmic rise and fall of your chest while breathing. If that doesn't work for you, try repeating a word or phrase constantly. After trying these out and still finding yourself having difficulties relaxing and calming your thoughts, it is best to leave the bedroom and wait until you feel sleepy and tired before trying to sleep again.
  

General suggestions

Other lifestyle adjustments that may help improve your sleep include:

• Try to exercise every day. Exercising in the morning works best as the morning light helps us to wake up. If not too vigorous, evening exercise can be beneficial as well. However, keep in mind your body needs time to wind down, so time is not too close to bedtime.

• Try to use the last hour or so before sleep to relax your mind and not engage in mentally stimulating activities. 

• Find activities to relax you, like having a warm bath, reading quietly, or having a warm milky drink, since milk contains a sleep-enhancing amino acid.

• Take only short naps, no more than 30 minutes. Especially in the evening, it will make falling asleep harder.

• Avoid caffeinated drinks like tea, coffee, soda or chocolate close to bedtime.

• Turn your alarm clock to the wall. Watching the minutes tick by is a sure way to keep yourself awake.

• If you find yourself unable to fall asleep within a reasonable amount of time, get out of bed. For half an hour or so, try a calming activity like reading a book, and then attempt to go back to bed again.

If you have tried and failed to improve your sleep, it might be best to consider professional help and see your healthcare provider.

Conclusion:

Achieving good sleep is about more than just avoiding tiredness. It's about supporting cognitive function, emotional well-being, and physical health. By understanding the importance of sleep and adopting strategies to improve sleep hygiene, you can enjoy a more active, empowered life.

Incorporating these tips into daily routines can pave the way for better sleep, but it's also essential to consult healthcare providers for personalized advice, especially when dealing with sleep disorders. Sleep is a pillar of health at any age, but it holds particular significance for later stages in life, offering a foundation for a vibrant, healthy lifestyle.