A new study from researchers at the University of Florida found that several healthy habits, including quality sleep, social support, maintaining a healthy waistline and avoiding tobacco, are linked to slower brain aging.

A look inside the study

The research followed 197 adults, most of whom lived with chronic pain related to or at risk of knee osteoarthritis. Over two years, the participants received MRI brain scans that were analyzed by a machine learning system.

The research team estimated each person’s “brain age,” then compared it to their actual age. The difference between the two, called the brain age gap, served as a marker of overall brain health.

The main findings were that certain protective factors and habits appeared to keep brains younger. Participants who had less sleep impairment, got more restorative sleep, had better stress management with more optimism, maintained a healthy weight with a lower waist circumference, avoided tobacco, and had supportive relationships tended to have younger-looking brains.

On the other hand, stressors such as chronic pain, low income or lower education were linked to brains that appeared older than expected.

In fact, those who had the most protective factors at the start of the study had brains that looked eight years younger than their chronological age — and they continued to show slower brain aging over time.

Why it matters

The researchers pointed out that healthy behaviors don’t just help with pain or physical function; they may also add up to real benefits for the brain. Choices like getting enough sleep, staying active, managing stress and maintaining healthy habits can collectively support long-term brain health.

Sleep, in particular, is a modifiable behavior. That means you can take steps today to improve your sleep and potentially protect your brain over time.

Simple steps to sleep better

Improving your sleep doesn’t have to be complicated. Try these habits to help your body and mind wind down for a better night’s rest:

1. Keep a consistent sleep-wake schedule — go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends.
2. Set a bedtime that allows for at least seven hours of sleep.
3. Use your bed only for sleep and sex.
4. Keep your bedroom cool, dark and quiet.
5. Limit fluids before bed.
6. Turn off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
7. Avoid heavy meals late at night; opt for a light snack if hungry.
8. Skip caffeine in the afternoon or evening.
9. If you can’t sleep after 20 minutes, get up and do something calm and quiet.
10. Avoid alcohol before bedtime.

The bottom line

This study found that getting good sleep was one of several key factors linked with healthier, younger-looking brains. The takeaway? You can take steps tonight to protect your brain for years to come. A few small changes to your sleep routine can make the difference between a restless night and truly restorative sleep.

Medical review by Dionne Morgan, MBBS, FCCP

Additional resources:

• Take a short quiz to learn how to get a better night’s sleep.
• Calculate your ideal bedtime.
• Begin and keep a sleep diary.
• Talk to your doctor about sleep.
• Get support from a sleep center.

Related content:

• Can a nap without sleep help your brain? New research explores the possibilities
• Nightly “brain wash” protects against Alzheimer’s disease during sleep
• Short sleep linked to aging brain

Authored by: Kate Robards

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A study published in JAMA Psychiatry by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that experiencing gratitude may help older adults live longer. Researchers assessed gratitude and mortality among nearly 50,000 women, finding that those who scored highest on a gratitude questionnaire had a lower risk of death over four years compared to those with the lowest gratitude scores.

How can you intentionally cultivate gratitude? New research suggests that sleep might be the key to boosting those grateful feelings.

How sleep affects gratitude

A 2024 study in the journal SLEEP suggests that healthy sleep positively impacts feelings of gratitude, resilience and flourishing.

Researchers assigned 90 participants to different sleep schedules for a week. Some had to stay up late, others went to bed early and a third group kept their normal routine. Sleep patterns were monitored closely using actigraphy (a method that tracks movement during sleep).

Those who went to bed earlier and extended their sleep by about 46 minutes per night showed noticeable improvements in sleepiness, mood and gratitude. In fact, they wrote twice as much on their gratitude lists compared to the other groups. On the flip side, participants who had restricted sleep — going to bed later and getting about 37 minutes less sleep each night — reported lower gratitude and more mood disruptions.

What does this mean? Even small shifts in sleep habits can influence gratitude, resilience and feelings of flourishing.

Better thoughts, better sleep

The link between gratitude and sleep goes beyond just getting more hours. A 2009 study in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research found that gratitude influences sleep through our thoughts before bed. According to the study, grateful people tend to have more positive thoughts and fewer negative or worrying thoughts when falling asleep, leading to better sleep quality and duration. They also function better throughout the day.

Pre-sleep thoughts matter more than you might think. Research shows that optimistic thoughts lead to self-reported better sleep. In contrast, worries and negative thoughts can keep you awake. Focusing on gratitude before bed may help improve your sleep.

Why it all matters

When people get better sleep, they feel more positive, and those feelings encourage prosocial behaviors like kindness and generosity. The SLEEP study suggests that sleep might be the foundation for these emotions.

So, what’s the takeaway? Adopting healthy sleep habits — like keeping a consistent sleep schedule — could improve your well-being and increase feelings of gratefulness. This, in turn, may lead to further improvements in your sleep. Better sleep and more gratitude may not just benefit you but also strengthen your relationships and interactions with others.

Tonight, consider this: What’s one thing you feel grateful for? Maybe a little extra sleep will help you find even more reasons to be thankful tomorrow.

Medical review by Margaret Hovda, MD

Related:

• Sleep loss affects generosity, desire to help others
• Improve your sleep in five simple steps
• The ‘Mind after Midnight’: People more likely to make bad decisions late at night

Authored by: Kate Robards

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During World Menopause Awareness Month, the AASM encourages women to prioritize healthy sleep. Good sleep isn’t just about feeling rested — it’s essential for overall health and well-being.

Why does menopause affect sleep?

Hormonal changes during menopause can interfere with your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. Hot flashes and night sweats often wake you up at night, making restful sleep harder to achieve. If you’re waking up tired and struggling to stay focused during the day, it may be time to take a closer look at your sleep habits.

What happens when you don’t sleep enough?

Poor sleep isn’t just frustrating — it can also affect your health. Chronic sleep loss increases the risk of serious conditions like heart disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also impair cognitive function, affect concentration and cause headaches. You may notice mood swings or feel more irritable and fatigued throughout the day.

Tips for better sleep during menopause

The good news? Small adjustments can improve your sleep. Here are some practical tips from the AASM:

• Use cooling sheets and lightweight blankets: Sleep with light layers that are easy to remove to help you stay cool at night.
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol: Both can worsen hot flashes, so it’s best to avoid them near bedtime.
• Stick to a schedule: Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends.
• Make your bedroom a sleep-friendly space: Keep the room quiet, dark and cool. Use your bed only for sleep, not for watching TV or working.
• Unwind before bed: Develop a calming nighttime routine, like reading, meditating or taking a warm shower.

Take action

Sleep is essential for everyone, but it becomes even more important for women trying to maneuver the unpredictable hormonal fluctuations of menopause. If you’re still struggling to sleep well despite these changes, don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor.

Related

• Sleep and growing older
• Increasing physical activity may improve sleep for menopausal women
• Sleep and women

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Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. Dementia is a general term for a decline in memory loss and cognitive abilities.

Alzheimer’s affects memory, thinking, and behavioral patterns. It is a degenerative brain disease that typically worsens over time if not treated accordingly. More than six million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s.

Getting quality, deep sleep and the recommended amount of sleep each night may be protective against the development of various types of dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease.

How sleep detoxes the brain

Recent research suggests that during deep sleep, the brain removes toxins associated with Alzheimer’s.

The development of Alzheimer’s has been linked to increased levels of proteins in the brain. Research suggests that the buildup of these proteins contributes to cognitive decline.

A study published in the journal Science revealed that cerebrospinal fluid carries these waste products away from the brain during deep sleep, acting as a guard to cognitive function.

This video shows the waves of fluid that flow into the brain during sleep to “deep clean” these harmful proteins.

Sleep duration may play a role

There’s also mounting research to suggest that getting too little—or even too much—sleep could increase your risk for Alzheimer’s disease

A report published in JAMA Neurology found that people who sleep less than six hours per night had elevated levels of the proteins that are considered markers for dementia such as Alzheimer’s.

Interestingly, the same study also reported that adults who slept more than nine hours per night also showed a decline in cognitive ability. Sleeping less than six hours or more than nine hours was also linked to more symptoms of depression and higher body mass index (BMI).

The AASM recommends that adults get seven or more hours of sleep per night. However, in young adults, 9-10 hours could be needed if there is sleep deprivation.

A lack of sleep may also play a role in Alzheimer’s.

In fact, a 2018 study found that just a single night of sleep deprivation increased the amount of Alzheimer’s-related toxins in the brain.

The relationship between sleep and Alzheimer’s is complex. These studies highlight the importance of deep, quality sleep in lowering the risk of cognitive decline. While there is still more research to be done, these recent findings suggest that prioritizing sleep may support brain health.

Medical review by Rafael J. Sepulveda MD, DABOM, and Reeba Mathew, MD, FCCP

Related:

• Short sleep linked to aging brain
• Sleep and growing older
• Acting out dreams linked to developing dementia

Authored by:

Kate Robards

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A recent study reports that millennials slept 22 minutes per day longer than their Generation X counterparts, which researchers say may reflect shifting attitudes about the importance of sleep.

Younger generation gets more shuteye

The study, conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, used data from the American Time Use Survey to examine how millennials and Generation X spent their time on an average day.

Millennials – people born between 1981 and 1996 – were surveyed in 2019, when they were age 23 to 38. Generation X – people born between 1965 and 1980 – were surveyed in 2003, when they were age 23 to 38.

The survey looked at how many hours each day people in each generation spent engaging in various activities, including sleeping.

On average, millennials spent 8.9 hours per day sleeping in 2019, compared to Gen X’s 8.5 hours in 2003. This amounts to 22 minutes more per day. While that does not seem like much time in a single day, it adds up to a significant difference in sleep over time.

Changing attitudes toward sleep

What’s to thank for millennials’ longer sleep times?

There are important societal differences between millennials and Generation X to consider. Millennials are less likely to be married, own a house, or have children. They’re more likely to have advanced degrees and be employed.

Millennials reported less time spent on childcare, housework, and lawn care compared to Gen X, which may allow them more time to spend on personal care activities, such as sleep, exercise, and leisure time.

“Sleeping a lot was considered lazy [among baby boomers]. We now respect the fact that more sleep is good for our health,” Michelle Freeman, author of the study, told the Associated Press.

The sleep habits of millennials could reflect a shifting attitude toward the importance of sleep and positively influence future generations.

Related:

• Studying the sleeping habits of 100-year-olds
• Many seniors sleep like younger adults

Authored by:

Kate Robards

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This is the reality of aging.

We grow up and we don’t look quite the same. But all this is only on the outside. Beneath the surface, your body is aging too, and sleep loss can speed up the process.

A study done by UCLA researchers discovered that just a single night of insufficient sleep can make an older adults’ cells age quicker. This might not seem like a big deal, but it has the potential to bring on a lot of other diseases. Multiple sclerosis, heart disease and cancer are just a few of them.

Insufficient sleep means that you get less than the 7 hours of nightly sleep that the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends for adults. People in the study were allowed only four hours of sleep from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. This type of sleep restriction is actually the most common form of sleep deprivation.  Long work hours may prevent us from getting the sleep we need. Or we simply stay up too late at night, failing to make sleep a top priority.

Getting a healthy night’s sleep isn’t just a way to keep the wrinkles away for a little longer — it will actually make you healthier.

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The British study involved nearly 10,000 adults who completed a health survey. Four years later they completed the survey again. They had an average age of 62 years, and their health outcomes were followed for an average of 9.5 years.

Sixty-nine percent were classified as “average” sleepers. They reported sleeping 6 to 8 hours on average in a 24-hour period. Twenty-one percent were “short” sleepers who reported a sleep duration of less than 6 hours. Ten percent were “long” sleepers who reported sleeping more than 8 hours.

During the study period 346 people had at least one stroke. The risk of stroke was 46 percent higher among long sleepers. The risk was even greater among those who reported a long sleep duration on both surveys. They were two times more likely to have a stroke.

The highest risk was found in people whose sleep duration increased from “short” on the first survey to “long” on the second survey. They were 3.75 times more likely to have a stroke.

So does this mean that getting too much sleep will kill you? To borrow the words of The Bard, is sleep literally, “the death of each day’s life”? Not at all.

The study was unable to examine cause and effect. So the authors concluded that long sleep may be a “marker of increased stroke risk in older people.”

They also noted that the strokes may have been caused by health or sleep problems that were not measured by the study. For example, study subjects were not screened for obstructive sleep apnea. Men with severe OSA are nearly three times more likely to have a stroke.

An editorial published with the study also noted that there is a “lack of evidence that sleeping for longer than 8 hours has adverse health effects.” The authors suggested that other underlying medical problems are more likely to deserve the blame.

So before you burn your pillow and vow to never sleep again, keep two things in mind:

1. Sleep is good for you – really, really good for you. Along with a healthy diet and regular exercise, sleep is one of the three pillars of a healthy lifestyle.
2. In general, more sleep is good, not bad. It’s hard to get “too much” sleep on a regular basis. Your body will let you know when it’s had enough. So if you’re tired, then sleep. Enjoy it. Love it. Wrap yourself up in it. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that you start by getting at least 7 hours of sleep each night. Instead of worrying about “too much” sleep, focus on getting healthy sleep.

Also, remember that sleep is an indicator of your health. Poor sleep may be a warning sign for an undetected health problem. Make sure that your sleep duration is a part of the conversation when you talk to your doctor:

• Let your doctor know if you get 8 to 9 hours of sleep each night and still feel unrefreshed. Non-restorative sleep can be a sign of a sleep disorder such as obstructive sleep apnea.
• Tell your doctor if you suddenly start sleeping much longer than normal. This could be a warning sign of a health problem, especially in older age.
• Contact an accredited sleep center and talk to a sleep doctor if you have an ongoing sleep problem.

Gentle sleep is no killer. You can rest assured tonight, sleep is still the “chief nourisher in life’s feast.”

Learn more about the study in the journal Neurology:  Sleep duration and risk of fatal and nonfatal stroke.

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Results show that each hour of reduced sleep duration changed the annual expansion rate of the ventricles by 0.59 percent. Ventricles are the internal chambers of the brain. Their expansion is a reliable marker for the risk of cognitive impairment. The study also found that reduced sleep sped up the annual decline rate in cognitive performance by 0.67 percent.

“Our findings relate short sleep to a marker of brain aging,” said lead author Dr. June Lo in a Duke-NUS press release.

“Work done elsewhere suggests that seven hours a day for adults seems to be the sweet spot for optimal performance on computer based cognitive tests,” added senior author Professor Michael Chee. He is director of the Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience at Duke-NUS. “In coming years we hope to determine what’s good for cardio-metabolic and long term brain health too,”

The study examined the data of 66 older Chinese adults, from the Singapore-Longitudinal Aging Brain Study. Participants underwent structural MRI brain scans measuring brain volume and neuropsychological assessments testing cognitive function every two years. Additionally, their sleep duration was recorded through a questionnaire.

According to the authors it remains to be investigated if sleep duration plays a more important role in predicting brain and cognitive aging in less healthy older adults.

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Unfortunately, many older adults often get less sleep than they need. One reason is that they often have more trouble falling asleep. A study of adults over 65 found that 13 percent of men and 36 percent of women take more than 30 minutes to fall asleep.

Also, older people often sleep less deeply and wake up more often throughout the night, which may be why they may nap more often during the daytime. Nighttime sleep schedules may change with age too. Many older adults tend to get sleepier earlier in the evening and awaken earlier in the morning.

There are many possible explanations for these changes. Older adults may produce and secrete less melatonin, the hormone that promotes sleep. They may also be more sensitive to — and may awaken because of — changes in their environment, such as noise.

Older adults may also have other medical and psychiatric problems that can affect their nighttime sleep. Researchers have noted that people without major medical or psychiatric illnesses report better sleep.

Not sleeping well can lead to a number of problems. Older adults who have poor nighttime sleep are more likely to have a depressed mood, attention and memory problems, excessive daytime sleepiness, more nighttime falls, and use more over-the-counter or prescription sleep aids. Poor sleep is also associated with a poorer quality of life.

Many people believe that poor sleep is a normal part of aging, but it is not. In fact, many healthy older adults report few or no sleep problems. Sleep patterns change as we age, but disturbed sleep and waking up tired every day are not part of normal aging. If you are having trouble sleeping, see your doctor or a sleep specialist. There are treatments that can help.

Sleep Disorders 

If you have a sleep disorder it can be hard to get a good night’s sleep. Sleep disorders can make it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep during the night and can make you drowsy during the day. The following are the most common sleep disorders among older adults:

1. Insomnia
2. Sleep-disordered breathing, such as snoring and sleep apnea
3. Movement disorders, such as restless legs syndrome

Insomnia

Insomnia is the most common sleep complaint at any age. It affects almost half of adults 60 and older.

If you have insomnia, you may experience any one or any combination of the following symptoms:

1. Taking a long time — more than 30 to 45 minutes — to fall asleep
2. Waking up many times each night
3. Waking up early and being unable to get back to sleep
4. Waking up feeling tired

Short-term insomnia, lasting less than one month, may result from a medical or psychiatric condition. Or it may occur after a change in personal circumstances like losing a loved one, relocating, or being hospitalized. If insomnia lasts longer than a month, it is considered chronic, even if the original cause has been resolved.

Many factors can cause insomnia. However, the most common reason older adults wake up at night is to go to the bathroom. Prostate enlargement in men and continence problems in women are often the cause. Unfortunately, waking up to go to the bathroom at night also places older adults at greater risk for falling.

Disorders that cause pain or discomfort during the night such as heartburn, arthritis, menopause, and cancer also can cause you to lose sleep. Medical conditions such as heart failure and lung disease may make it more difficult to sleep through the night, too.

Neurologic conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and dementia are often a source of sleep problems, as are psychiatric conditions, such as depression. Although depression and insomnia are often related, it is currently unclear whether one causes the other.

Many older people also have habits that make it more difficult to get a good night’s sleep. They may nap more frequently during the day or may not exercise as much. Spending less time outdoors can reduce their exposure to sunlight and upset their sleep cycle. Drinking more alcohol or caffeine can keep them from falling asleep or staying asleep.

Also, as people age, their sleeping and waking patterns tend to change. Older adults usually become sleepier earlier in the evening and wake up earlier in the morning. If they don’t adjust their bedtimes to these changes, they may have difficulty falling and staying asleep.

Lastly, many older adults take a variety of different medications that may negatively affect their sleep. Many medications have side effects that can cause sleepiness or affect daytime functioning.

Sleep-Disordered Breathing

Sleep apnea and snoring are two examples of sleep-disordered breathing — conditions that make it more difficult to breathe during sleep. When severe, these disorders may cause people to wake up often at night and be drowsy during the day.

Snoring is a very common condition affecting nearly 40 percent of adults. It is more common among older people and those who are overweight. When severe, snoring not only causes frequent awakenings at night and daytime sleepiness, it can also disrupt a bed partner’s sleep.

Snoring is caused by a partial blockage of the airway passage from the nose and mouth to the lungs. The blockage causes the tissues in these passages to vibrate, leading to the noise produced when someone snores.

There are two kinds of sleep apnea: obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when air entering from the nose or mouth is either partially or completely blocked, usually because of obesity or extra tissue in the back of the throat and mouth.

If these episodes occur frequently or are severe, they may cause a person to awaken frequently throughout the night. This may disrupt their sleep and make them sleepy during the day.

Central sleep apnea is less common. It occurs when the brain doesn’t send the right signals to start the breathing process. Often, both types of sleep apnea occur in the same person.

Obstructive sleep apnea is more common among older adults and among people who are significantly overweight. Obstructive sleep apnea can increase a person’s risk for high blood pressure, strokes, heart disease, and cognitive problems.

However, more research is needed to understand the long-term consequences of obstructive sleep apnea in older adults.

Movement Disorders

Two movement disorders that can make it harder to sleep include restless legs syndrome, or RLS, and periodic limb movement disorder, or PLMD. Both of these conditions cause people to move their limbs when they sleep, leading to poor sleep and daytime drowsiness. Often, both conditions occur in the same person.

Restless legs syndrome is a common condition in older adults and affects more than 20 percent of people 80 years and older. People with RLS experience uncomfortable feelings in their legs such as tingling, crawling, or pins and needles.

This often makes it hard for them to fall asleep or stay asleep, and causes them to be sleepy during the day.

Although scientists do not fully understand what causes restless legs syndrome, it has been linked to a variety of conditions. Some of these conditions include iron deficiency, kidney failure and dialysis, pregnancy, and nerve abnormalities.

Periodic limb movement disorder, or PLMD, is a condition that causes people to jerk and kick their legs every 20 to 40 seconds during sleep. As with RLS, PLMD often disrupts sleep — not only for the patient but the bed partner as well. One study found that roughly 40 percent of older adults have at least a mild form of PLMD.

Another condition that may make it harder to get a good night’s sleep is rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, also known as REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD). It is somewhat more common in men over the age of 50.

REM sleep, or rapid eye movement sleep, is the most active stage of sleep where dreaming often occurs. During normal REM sleep, the eyes move back and forth beneath the eyelids, and muscles cannot move. In more severe forms of REM sleep behavior disorder, the muscles become quite mobile and sufferers often act out their dreams.

Getting Help for Your Sleep

If you are often tired during the day and don’t feel that you sleep well, you should discuss this with your doctor or health care provider. Many primary care providers can diagnose sleep disorders and offer suggestions and treatments that can improve your sleep.

Before you visit the doctor, it may be very helpful for you to ask for and keep a sleep diary for a week or more. A sleep diary will give you and your doctor a picture of your sleep habits and schedules and help determine whether they may be affecting your sleep.

During your appointment your doctor will ask you about your symptoms and may have you fill out questionnaires that measure the severity of your sleep problem.

It is also helpful to have your bed partner come with you to your appointment since he or she may be able to report symptoms unknown to you like loud snoring, breathing pauses, or movements during sleep.

Since older people are more likely to take medications and to have medical problems that may affect sleep, it is important for your doctor to be aware of any health condition or medication your are taking.

Don’t forget to mention over-the-counter medications, coffee or caffeine use, and alcohol since these also may have an impact on your sleep.

The doctor will then perform a physical examination. During the exam the doctor will look for signs of other diseases that may affect sleep, such as Parkinson’s disease, stroke, heart disease, or obesity. If your doctor feels more information is needed, he or she may refer you to a sleep center for more testing.

Sleep centers employ physicians and others who are experts in problems that affect sleep. If the sleep specialist needs more information, he or she may ask you to undergo an overnight sleep study, also called a polysomnogram, and/or a sleepiness, or a nap test. A polysomnogram is a test that measures brain waves, heart rate, breathing patterns and body movements.

A common sleepiness test is the multiple sleep latency test. During this test, the person has an opportunity to nap every two hours during the daytime. If the person falls asleep too quickly it may mean that he or she has too much daytime sleepiness.

Treatments for Sleep Disorders

Based on your sleep evaluation, your doctor or sleep specialist may recommend individual treatment options. It is important to remember that there are effective treatments for most sleep disorders.

If you are diagnosed with a sleep disorder, your doctor may suggest specific treatments. You should ask for information to find out more about your condition and ways to improve your sleep.

There are a number of therapies available to help you fall asleep and stay asleep. You may want to try limiting excessive noise and/or light in your sleep environment.

Or, you could limit the time spent in bed while not sleeping, and use bright lights to help with circadian rhythm problems. Circadian rhythm is our 24-hour internal body clock that is affected by sunlight.

Some specialists believe medications also can be useful early in circadian rhythm treatment, and if necessary, you can use them from time to time if you have trouble falling asleep.

People who are diagnosed with sleep apnea should try to lose weight if possible, but often they may need other treatments as well. Adjusting your body position during the night may benefit you if you experience sleep apnea more often when you lie on your back.

The most effective and popular treatment for sleep apnea is nasal continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP. This device keeps your air passages open by supplying a steady stream of air pressure through your nose while you sleep.

To use the CPAP, the patient puts on a small mask that fits around the nose. Air pressure is delivered to the mask from a small, quiet air pump that sits at the bedside. The patient not only wears the mask at night but also during naps, since obstructions can occur during these times as well.

If you have a mild case of sleep apnea, sometimes a dental device or oral appliance can be helpful. If your condition is more severe and you don’t tolerate other treatments, your doctor may suggest surgery to increase the airway size in the mouth and throat. One common surgical method removes excess tissue from the back of the throat.

Very often, people who suffer from movement disorders during sleep such as restless legs syndrome or periodic limb movement disorder are successfully treated with the same medications used for Parkinson’s disease. People with restless legs syndrome often have low levels of iron in their blood. In such cases doctors often prescribe supplements.

Medications can also treat people with REM behavior disorder. If there are reports of dangerous activities such as hitting or running during these episodes, it may be necessary to make changes to the person’s sleeping area to protect sufferers and their bed partners from injury.

Many sleep problems will improve with changes that you can make on your own. You can often sleep better by simply following the practices of good sleep hygiene.

Sleep hygiene consists of basic habits and tips that help you develop a pattern of healthy sleep. There are also easy ways to make your bed and your bedroom more comfortable. See the Healthy Sleep section of this site to find out how you can start down the path to better sleep.

The post Sleep and Growing Older appeared first on Sleep Education.

Unfortunately, not sleeping because he was too anxious could lead to more feelings of anxiety, paranoia, depression, and much more.

Most adults need about seven hours to eight hours of nightly sleep to feel alert and well rested. The amount of sleep that you need stays about the same for your entire adult life, but your ability to sleep through the night can decrease as you age.

Sleep deprivation can happen to anyone but is more common in adolescents, among whom restricted sleep times are common, caregivers who look after the needs of a family member who has a chronic illness, shift workers, people who have sleep disorders that cause insufficient sleep and people who have a medical condition that causes insufficient sleep, such as Parkinson’s disease.

The causes, symptoms, and effects of sleep deprivation vary from person to person. Sleep deprivation may affect:

Mood

• Irritability
• Lack of motivation
• Anxiety
• Symptoms of depression

Performance

• Lack of concentration
• Longer reaction times
• Lack of coordination
• Poor decision
• Increased errors
• Forgetfulness

Health

• High blood pressure
• Heart attack
• Obesity
• Diabetes

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