Page 22 - Healthy Brain Living Book

f your sleep patterns are changing as you grow older, you’re not

Ialone. As we age, we experience many differences like difficulty

sleeping through the night without constantly waking up. For

others, they may sleep for a few hours, but it is always hard to get

back to sleep.

It’s one thing to know that sleep is essential to our mental and

physical health at any age, but achieving quality sleep regularly

is a challenge for many older adults.

Quality sleep has numerous benefits. During sleep, the body

produces important proteins called cytokines which are

essential to the effectiveness of the immune system in fighting

off infections and illnesses. If you have chronic sleep problems

you may have a weaker defense system against pathogens that

cause a variety of health problems—even the common cold.

Tip #1 - Sleep and Memory

It is perfectly natural to see changes in your sleep throughout life.

As we age, the body produces less growth hormone that regulates

deep sleep. Growing older also means we produce less melatonin,

the chemical that helps with circadian rhythm: that’s the wiring

in the brain that adjusts from night to day. Less melatonin means

sleep cycles with increased interruptions.

Current research has found a link between quality sleep patterns

and memory. Remember the last time you stayed up all night or

hardly slept at all? You probably felt severely sleep-deprived the

next day and your memory wasn’t as sharp as it usually is when

you are more rested.

Scientists believe that quality sleep in older adults may help

repair some of the damage from aging brain cells. This damage

may contribute to memory problems, concentration and other

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