“There are methods to enhance the circadian rhythm”

“As we age, the strength of the circadian rhythm and the amount of melatonin released at night also decrease. All of this creates a self-perpetuating cycle in which many older adults struggle with sleep deprivation, struggle to stay awake later at night, unintentionally nap during the day, have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at night and wake up. sooner than they would like.”

He explains this in his best-selling book. why are we sleeping (Captain Swing), Matthew Walker Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. This specialist, founder and director of the Center for Human Sleep Science, is a leader in his field and the recipient of numerous awards from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Below we look at some of Walker’s thoughts and tips for improving sleep as you age, with excerpts from his book.

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Light during the day, controlled

“There are techniques that can help delay the circadian rhythm in older people, as well as strengthen it. However, I’m sorry to say that they are not a complete or perfect solution. In subsequent chapters, I will discuss the harmful effects of artificial light on the twenty-four-hour circadian rhythm. Evening light suppresses the normal rise in melatonin levels, pushing the average adult’s sleep onset into the early morning hours, preventing us from falling asleep at a reasonable time. However, the same sleep delay effect can be used successfully in older adults if properly controlled. Waking up early, many are physically active in the morning and are therefore exposed to bright light most of the time in the morning. This is suboptimal because it reinforces the early-wake-early-to-bed cycle in the internal twenty-four hour clock. Instead, older adults who want to delay bedtime should expose themselves to bright light in the late afternoon. I’m not suggesting that you stop exercising in the morning because exercise helps promote good sleep, especially in older adults. Yes, I’ll give you two pieces of advice instead.

The first is to wear sunglasses during your morning outdoor workouts. This will reduce the influence of morning light sent to the suprachiasmatic clock, which would otherwise remain in early morning time. The second option is to go outside during the day to expose yourself to sunlight, but this time without sunglasses. Although they should wear some form of protection, such as a hat, it is advisable to leave sunglasses at home. “Abundant midday light will help delay the nighttime release of melatonin, which promotes sleep patterns later.”

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Melatonin with medical advice

“You can also talk to your doctor about taking melatonin at night. While in young and middle-aged people melatonin has only been shown to be effective in situations of jet lag, it has been shown that in older people it can help increase the circadian rhythm associated with melatonin, reducing the time it takes to fall asleep and improving both sleep quality , and morning vigilance.”

Walker also offers general sleep hygiene tips to help you sleep better overall. “We can try to sleep better by practicing what we call good “sleep hygiene” practices, a list of twelve key tips for which can be found on the National Institutes of Health website and also in the appendix to this book.

Twelve tips for healthy sleep

1

Follow a sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. Being creatures of habit, we humans have difficulty adapting to changes in our sleep patterns. Sleeping on the weekend doesn’t fully compensate for the lack of sleep during the week, and it will be harder for us to get up early on Monday morning. Set an alarm for bedtime. We often set an alarm to wake up, but we don’t set an alarm to fall asleep. If you can only remember one tip from the list, let it be this one.

2

Exercise is great, but it shouldn’t be a last-minute thing. Try to exercise for at least thirty minutes on most days, but do it at least two to three hours before bed.

3

Avoid caffeine and nicotine. Coffee, cola, some teas and chocolate contain the stimulant caffeine, and the effects may take up to eight hours to completely wear off. Therefore, a cup of coffee in the late afternoon can prevent you from falling asleep. Nicotine is also a stimulant and often causes smokers to get very little sleep. Additionally, smokers often wake up early due to nicotine withdrawal.

4

Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages before bed. Drinking a drink or alcoholic beverage before bed can help you relax, but drinking too much will deprive you of REM sleep and keep you in lighter stages of sleep. Excessive alcohol consumption can also contribute to poor breathing at night. Once the effects of alcohol wear off, we tend to wake up in the middle of the night.

5

Don’t eat or drink much late at night. A light snack is fine, but a large meal can cause stomach upset, which interferes with sleep. Drinking too much fluid at night can cause you to wake up frequently to urinate.

6

If possible, avoid taking medications that delay or interrupt your sleep. Some commonly prescribed heart and blood pressure or asthma medications, as well as some herbal and over-the-counter cough, cold, or allergy medications, can disrupt sleep patterns. If you have trouble sleeping, talk to your doctor or pharmacist to find out if the medications you take may be contributing to your insomnia, and ask if they can be taken at other times during the day or earlier in the evening.

7

Don’t sleep after three o’clock in the afternoon. Napping can help make up for lack of sleep, but later in the evening it can make it difficult to fall asleep at night.

8

Relax before bed. Don’t make your day so busy that you don’t have time to rest. A quiet activity, such as reading or listening to music, should be part of your bedtime routine.

9

Take a hot bath before bed. The drop in body temperature after leaving the bath can help you feel sleepy and relaxed, and can also slow down the pace of your bedtime routine.

10

Dark bedroom, cool bedroom, technology-free bedroom. Get rid of anything that might distract you from your sleep, such as noise, bright lights, an uncomfortable bed, or high temperatures. You’ll sleep better if the room temperature remains cool. A TV, cell phone or computer in the bedroom can be a distraction and deprive you of the sleep you need. A comfortable mattress and pillow will help ensure a good night’s sleep. People suffering from insomnia often look at the clock. Keep your watch out of sight so you don’t have to check the time while you’re trying to fall asleep.

11

Maintain proper exposure to sunlight. Daylight is key to regulating your daily sleep patterns. Try to sunbathe for at least thirty minutes every day. If possible, wake up in the morning in sunlight or use a very bright light. Sleep experts recommend that if you have trouble falling asleep, expose yourself to morning sunlight for at least an hour and turn off all lights before bed.

12

Don’t stay awake in bed. If you are still awake twenty minutes after bedtime or begin to feel restless or restless, get up and do something relaxing until you feel sleepy. Anxiety about not being able to fall asleep can make it difficult to fall asleep.

“All twelve tips are great, but if you can only do one of them every day, choose this one: go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, no matter what. This may be the most effective way to improve your sleep, even if you have to use an alarm clock,” says Walker.

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