Good Health Rests On A Good Night's Sleep

There is nothing like a good night’s sleep. When you wake up rested, you are ready to take on the day! However, if you are among the 15% of Americans who suffer from insomnia serious enough to require medical attention – the outlook is not so perky.
Your body needs enough rest to work right. In fact, getting enough sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your health, along with eating right and getting enough exercise.

Changes to our sleep patterns are a part of the normal aging process. As we age we tend to have a harder time falling asleep and more trouble staying asleep – which is a problem because research shows that our sleep needs remain constant throughout adulthood and that it is a misconception to think that sleep needs decline as we get older.

Did You Know?

• Older women are more likely to experience insomnia than older men
• More than 50% of people older than 64 have some form of sleep condition
• Reducing sleep by as little as 1-1/2 hours for just one night reduces daytime alertness by 1/3
• Excessive daytime sleepiness impairs memory and ability to think and process information
• Long-term sleep deprivation increases risk of high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke

So what is keeping us awake?

A number of factors acting alone or in conjunction will often influence our sleep experience.

Physiological Factors

• Changes in the patterns of our sleep (as we age we tend to spend more time in the lighter stages of sleep vs. deep sleep)
• Changes in internal rhythm cycles that coordinate the timing of our bodily functions
• Increase in the number of times we wake up at night related to various factors such as sleep apnea (the more this happens, the less sleep time we accumulate)
• Chronic pain brought on by health conditions such as arthritis, heartburn or heart disease
• Restless legs or muscle spasms
• Snoring

Psychological Factors

• Depression
• Stress

Environmental/ Personal Factors

• Social or recreational drug use – caffeine, nicotine and alcohol
• Environmental noise – television, radio, snoring, street noise, etc.
• Poor bed/mattress condition
• Poor scheduling – eating and/or exercising too late, napping too long/often during day

If you are having occasional difficulty sleeping or are suffering from insomnia, there is a lot you can do to get a better night’s sleep, feel refreshed when you awake and remain alert throughout the day.

Source :www.aarp.org