What happens when you sleep?

 You do it every night. But despite a lifetime of experience, you may not know much about what really goes on while you sleep.

So this may surprise you: While you drift off, your brain and body stay very busy. In fact, they both go through a cascade of changes. As you pass through different stages of sleep, your brain waves cycle through slowdowns and spikes. And at various points:

• Your body temperature dips, which helps you feel drowsy.
• Your heart rate and blood pressure drop during deep sleep, then pick back up again.
• Your breathing slows in some stages — and becomes fast and irregular in others.       Image by: Wokandapix from Pixabay
• Your muscles relax, even while their blood supply increases. Some muscles even become temporarily paralyzed to keep you from acting out your dreams.
• Your brain shuts out information from your senses, until you reach the dreaming stage, when you imagine sights, sounds and other sensations.
• The part of your brain that processes emotions becomes more active. Scientists think making sense of those emotions may be the reason we dream, even if we don’t always remember the dreams when we wake.                                                     
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HOW ZZZZZZZZZs FIGHT DISEASES 

Sleep may seem like a mystery. But one thing is clear: It’s essential for good health. For instance, quality shuteye helps your body:

Grow and heal. Sleep releases hormones your body needs to build muscle and to repair damaged tissues.

Fight infections. The body creates proteins called cytokines during sleep, which help strengthen the immune system.

Stay alert. Sleep restores energy and improves your ability to focus and react fast during the day.

Learn. Sleep helps maintain the pathways in the brain that let you learn and make new memories.

Regulate your mood. People who don’t get enough sleep may be more prone to anxiety and depression.

The clear takeaway: Tucking in is a great way to be good to your body and mind. That’s why most adults should aim for seven to nine hours a night.

Sources: American Academy of Sleep Medicine; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; National Institutes of Health; National Sleep Foundation

Simple Tips to Help End Sleepless Nights

Your finances. Your family. Your health. Life is full of reasons to toss and turn. It’s no wonder almost one in two older adults reports difficulty falling or staying asleep.

Anxiety and stress often interfere with sleep. But chronic insomnia, or trouble sleeping for a month or more, most often has another root cause. Shifting hormone levels, medications, and health problems conspire to sabotage your slumber.

Over time, lack of rest contributes to serious health problems, including dementia and heart disease. But understanding and adjusting the factors that disrupt dozing can help you snooze soundly—tonight and beyond.

WHAT’S KEEPING YOU UP?

Sleep serves a role beyond rest. As you dream, your brain stores memories, your body produces infection-fighting cells, and your blood pressure dips so your heart can rest.

With age, however, your internal clock shifts. Your body may produce lower levels of the hormones that control your sleep-wake cycle. Compared with when you were younger, you:

1. Fall asleep and wake up earlier
2. Sleep more lightly
3. Spend more time in bed awake
4. Feel sleepier and nap more during the day

Many other concerns can rouse you from rest. Sleep disorders such as restless legs syndrome and sleep apnea, in which you stop breathing temporarily during sleep, are more common with age.

What’s more, symptoms of some medical and psychological problems worsen at night. Common culprits include chronic pain, asthma, depression, arthritis, and dementia. And some medications may interfere with normal sleep patterns.

HEALTH RISKS OF TOO FEW WINKS

After just one night of skimping on sleep, you may snip at your family and friends, lack energy, or have trouble thinking and focusing. Your risk of having an accident while driving increases, as does your likelihood of falling.

Over time, lack of rest causes an array of serious harms. These include:

1. The buildup of brain proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease
2. Spikes in the hunger hormone ghrelin, which may lead to overeating and weight gain
3. Lower levels of infection fighting hormones

Without the downtime sleep provides, your blood pressure and levels of the stress hormone cortisol stay elevated. As a result of all these changes, your risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes may rise.

YOUR TICKET TO DREAMLAND

Better rest can begin with steps you take at home. Try these tips:

1. Keep a set sleep schedule. Try to go to bed and arise at around the same time every day.
2. Exercise regularly. About 30 minutes of moderate motion most days of the week boosts your mood along with the quality and quantity of sleep.
3. Ban electronics from your bedroom. TVs and computers can distract you from sleep. Backlit tablet devices emit light that lowers levels of the sleep hormone melatonin.
4. Nap smartly. Try not to snooze between 3 p.m. and bedtime.
5. Use light therapy. Thirty minutes of natural sunlight during the day may help to properly sync your internal clock. As evening approaches, dim overhead lights.

Another thing to try is the following nonprescription soothers:

1. Melatonin. Synthetic versions of this sleep hormone ease insomnia in older adults.
2. Peaceful music. Relaxing tunes of your choosing improve sleep quality, studies show.
3. Valerian. This herb may have calming effects. But avoid combining it with alcohol or other sedative drugs.

Medications that may interfere with a good night’s slumber include:

1. Beta-blockers, for heart problems
2. Theophylline, an asthma medicine
3. Cough, cold, and allergy medicines containing decongestants or steroids
4. Some anti-inflammatory Medications

Talk with your doctor if trouble sleeping lasts for more than a few days or if daytime sleepiness affects your regular activities. Sometimes, treating an underlying medical problem or changing your medications restores your rest.

In other cases, your doctor may recommend seeing a counselor to learn new relaxation techniques.

Sources: American Academy of Sleep Medicine; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; National Institutes of Health; National Sleep Foundation  |  AARP – UnitedHealthcare 

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