As You Age How Much Sleep Is Enough: A Full 8 Hours Or Less?
As You Age How Much Sleep Is Enough: A Full 8 Hours Or Less?
As you go through life, the percentage of time you spend in the different stages of sleep, changes.
At birth, you spend 50% of your time in dream sleep or REM sleep and 50% in non-REM sleep.
As you get older, the proportion changes to about 25% of your time in REM sleep or dream sleep and 75% of your time in non-REM sleep.
Because of this shift from REM to non-REM sleep, you will feel more attuned to your environment.
You feel that the sounds around you, can wake you up more easily and that you tend to sleep lighter.
These changes are not overly concerning.
You should only be concerned if it’s causing undue problems and if you are not functioning properly during the day.
This could then be related to another superimposed sleep disorder such as insomnia, a very common disorder that women are particularly prone to.
This can be seen across the spectrum from premenopausal to menopausal and postmenopausal.
Most notably during menopause, when women often wake up in the middle of the night due to hot flushes and night sweats.
As You Age How Much Sleep Is Enough?
The average adult needs about 7 1/2 to 8 1/2 hours of sleep a night.
However, that’s an average.
Some people need more, and some people need less, but whatever you need is already manifested by the time you turn 22 and remains pretty much fixed for the rest of your life.
The important thing is to be attuned to your body’s needs and try not to rob your body of sleep.
So how do you know how much sleep your body needs?
The best way to determine this is to do a test while you are for instance on vacation.
Go to sleep and see how long you sleep for naturally, without the aid of an alarm clock.
Repeat this routine for about a week and then you can figure out how much sleep your body actually requires.
That’s the number of hours you should strive for, whether you’re on vacation or not.
Based on this, establish a regular sleep routine.
Your body goes through a process as it prepares for sleep.
It releases a hormone called melatonin in your brain, which actually sets the body in motion and prepares it for going to sleep.
Melatonin is released 4 hours before bedtime.
Your body goes through a process of decompressing to prepare it for sleep.
Sources
medlineplus.gov – aging changes in sleep
womens-health-concern.org – menopause and insomnia
webmd.com – menopause and sleep problems
How Does The Circadian Rhythm Work?
Your circadian rhythm also known as your sleep/wake cycle is a 24-hour internal clock that runs in the background of your brain and switches between sleepiness and alertness at regular intervals.
It is synchronized to the rising and setting of the sun.
Circadian, comes from the Latin word ‘Circa Diem’, which means ‘approximately a day’.
This internal clock is centered in the hypothalamus of the brain and is coordinated with the day-night / light-dark cycle over a 24-hour period.
It regulates several biological activities including:
- Sleep patterns
- Feeding patterns
- Core body temperature
- Brain wave activity
- Cell regeneration
- Hormone production
Even a long night’s sleep can be ineffective if it occurs at the “wrong” time of the circadian cycle.
Although the hypothalamus controls the circadian rhythm, outside factors such as light and dark can also impact it.
When it is dark at night, the eyes send a signal to the hypothalamus that it is now time to feel tired.
The brain, in turn, sends a signal to the body to release melatonin, making you sleepy.
The circadian rhythm works best when a person has regular sleep habits, such as sleeping and waking up around the same time day after day.
However, the circadian rhythm changes as you get older.
The importance of sleep for the brain & memory retention
Sleep occupies nearly a third of your life but you might give surprisingly little attention and care to it.
This neglect is often the result of a major misunderstanding that sleep is lost time or just a way to rest when all your important work is done.
Instead, it is a critical function during which your body balances and regulates its vital systems.
Sleep is also crucial for your brain, so crucial in fact, that a fifth of your body’s circulatory blood is channeled to your brain as you fall asleep.
While you are sleeping your brain is in an intensely active period of restructuring that is crucial for how your memory works.
One of the major factors contributing to memory retention is a goodnight’s sleep.
Sleep is composed of 4 stages the deepest of which are known as slow-wave sleep and rapid eye movement.
Missing out on sleep not only harms your long-term health but actually makes it less likely that you retain all that you have learned from the day before.
How the liver can affect your sleep patterns
Studies have shown that there is a correlation between the liver and sleep patterns and that those suffering from liver problems such as cirrhosis and fatty liver disease often exhibit irregular sleep patterns.
If our sleep is disturbed between 1-3 am it can have an effect on the functions of the liver.
The liver plays a crucial role when it comes to hormones.
The liver isn’t responsible for secreting or producing hormones but does deal with these hormones once they have served their purpose.
The two main hormones that govern the sleep-wake cycle are cortisol and melatonin.
- Cortisol is the stress hormone that is usually secreted just before you wake up in the morning helping you to feel refreshed and energized for the day ahead
- Melatonin is produced as daylight fades, helping you to feel relaxed and sleepy in preparation for bedtime
The liver can affect these hormones in a couple of ways.
If you are easily stressed, your cortisol levels will be higher, thereby increasing the liver’s workload when it comes to deactivating this particular hormone.
If excess cortisol remains in the system for longer it will negatively impact melatonin levels.
This can cause an increase in daytime fatigue followed by night-time alertness when the liver finally gets around to deactivating the melatonin still circulating in the system.
The liver stores and produces glycogen
Glycogen is produced in the liver using leftover glucose and is stored as an energy source that can be used by the body.
When your blood glucose levels start to drop, your liver breaks down glycogen to release glucose into the bloodstream to help give your body additional fuel.
Problems can arise, when stress takes its toll on the liver, because it depletes the liver’s stores of glycogen, which is used to produce stress hormones such as adrenaline.
Eventually, the liver becomes fatigued from producing more and more glycogen, which causes the blood sugar levels to increase significantly, upsetting sleep patterns.
Sources
sleepfoundation.org – what is circadian rhythm
healthysleep.med.harvard.edu – sleep learning memory
med.upenn.edu – the impact of sleep on learning and memory
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov – managing sleep disturbances in cirrhosis
sciencedaily.com – sleep deprivation alters liver metabolism
What The Chinese Body Clock Can Tell You About Your Health
According to Chinese medicine, we all have a 24-hour cycle comprised of two-hour periods, each of which corresponds to a particular aspect of the body and its energies.
The 24-hour cycle begins with the lungs
3:00 AM to 5:00 AM
Represented by the Lung (taking in and letting go with ease)
According to the traditional Chinese organ body clock, your lungs are the first organs that start filling with chi by collecting oxygen and moving it to all the other systems in preparation for a new day.
Those who wake up at this time usually have other strong symptoms, such as coughing, sneezing, nasal congestion, or excess mucous.
On the emotional side, you can experience feelings of sadness and grief.
5:00 AM to 7:00 AM
Represented by the Colon (elimination and clearing out of waste)
It is the colon’s job to clear out the waste.
Having a healthy bowel movement during colon time or soon after rising can be a sign of excellent health.
Constipation, weight gain, or even premature aging are signs of large intestine issues.
On the emotional side, you may be experiencing emotional blockages, that feeling of being stuck and impatience.
7:00 AM to 9:00 AM
Represented by the Stomach (digest and nurture)
The stomach energy is strongest between the hours of 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM, which is why we are told to have our biggest meal of the day at breakfast.
The stomach is responsible for the digestion of food but on a mental and emotional level, this means taking in new ideas nurturing oneself, and connecting harmoniously with others.
9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Represented by Spleen (assimilation and transformation)
According to Chinese philosophy, the role of the spleen is to assimilate and absorb what you have taken in and to transform it into being a part of you.
On a physical level, this means turning the food you eat into muscles flesh, and blood.
On other levels, the spleen is associated with thought, with caring for and having sympathy with others, and with productivity.
11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Represented by the Heart (bathing you with warmth and joy)
Between 11:00 and 1:00 PM the heart energy is strongest.
The function of the heart is to bathe your mind, body, and spirit in total love, immense warmth, and joy, and to keep all the other organs in control and feeling safe.
1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Coincides with Small Intestine (filtering what comes in)
Like all Yin organs, the heart has the support of its Yang partner, the small intestine.
The small intestine is known as the sorter of pure from impure in Chinese medicine.
Its role is to take in what is good for you and needed and leave the rest.
3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Refers to the Bladder (support, strength, and creativity)
The bladder is about support, sexuality, and creativity.
It is the longest Meridian or channel in the body and travels up and down the back several times.
Bladder time is when your sexual energy is considered as being the strongest.
Women’s sexual hormones peak during this time.
The bladder is in the water element the Yang partner is the kidney.
If you have back problems or hormonal problems then this may be due to a weakness in the bladder and kidney energies.
5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Represented by the Kidney (reflection and inner knowing)
The kidneys are about your essence, who you truly are, your true purpose, and your will and stamina.
The kidneys also govern reproduction.
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Coincides with the Pericardium (connecting with others and oneself)
On a physical level, the heart protector or pericardium is the tissue that surrounds and protects the heart.
On other levels, this organ represents how you protect yourself emotionally and guard against others in relationships, versus your ability to be open, connect, and bond.
9:00 PM to 11:00 PM
This refers to the Triple Heater (keeping the temperature just right)
The triple heater does not have a specific location like an organ in Chinese medicine.
It is a function and its job is to keep your body, mind, and spirit at just the right temperature.
11:00 To 1:00 AM
Represents the Gallbladder (being decisive and clear)
On a physical level the gall bladder and its Yang partner, the liver, are concerned with cleansing and restoring the body.
It can signal that you might have gallstones or need to adjust your fat intake and start to eat more healthy oils.
A healthy gall bladder will help give clarity to decision-making.
1:00 AM to 3:00 AM
Represented by the Liver (making plans for the future)
There is hope, growth, and vision in your lives.
When your liver is healthy and in balance.
Awakening between 1:00 AM and 3:00 AM indicates that there are too many toxins in your body for your liver to deal with.
This is such an important organ and its work is best done while you are asleep.
