After a certain age, counting sheep that jump over the fence in the hope of falling into the arms of Morpheus is of little use. Sleeping eight hours straight remains a mere illusion not only because of the difficulty of falling asleep, but also because sleep is often interrupted by micro-awakenings. With all due respect to the quality of rest. But why is this happening? The answer comes from a study conducted in the US by the company Stanford University. Researchers who conducted a study on mice showed that the brain mechanisms that regulate sleep and wakefulness deteriorate over time. The reason for this is to be found in hypocretinsmolecules that regulate the sleep-wake cycle, which are reproduced in the hypothalamus of the brain only by a selected and reduced group of neurons.
Research work
Researchers from Stanford University they divided the mice into two groups, the first of which consisted of young guinea pigs aged 3 to 5 months, the second of old guinea pigs aged 18 to 22 months. Both groups were stimulated by light effects. The analysis showed that in old mice there was a decrease in the level of hypocretin by 38%. In addition, in this group of guinea pigs, neurons that regulate the sleep-wake cycle they were more sensitiveto the light. Result? Older mice woke up easier. This process will be more or less similar to the one in which people participate. Men and women over 65 they sleep about an hour less than in their 20s.
In light of all this, how many hours should we sleep each night for our bodies to function at their best? perform their metabolic and regenerative functions? Given the fact that sleep can have a “subjective” meaning, there are “objective” criteria that can help us understand how many hours we should sleep each night. These objective criteria are actually set by age.. Research conducted National Sleep Foundationand published in the journal Sleep healthdetermined the recommended hours of sleep for certain age groups, indicating the appropriate, recommended and not recommended hours.
From 6 to 13 years old. School-age children need more hours of sleep than the rest of the population. For this age group, the National Sleep Foundation researchers recommend sleeping between 9 and 11 hours, 7 to 8, maximum 12. Avoid less than 7 and more than 12 hours.
14 to 17 years old. Teenagers in this age group should sleep for a minimum of 8 to a maximum of 10 hours, but 7 to 11 hours is also acceptable. Scientists do not consider it appropriate to sleep less than 7 and more than 11 hours.
18 to 25 years old
Ideally, young people aged 18 to 25 should sleep between 7 and 9 hours, but it is also considered appropriate to rest from 6 to 10-11 hours. On the other hand, you can not rest less than 6 and more than 11 hours.
From 26 to 64 years old. The recommended sleep duration for this age group is 7 to 9 hours. It is also considered appropriate to sleep a minimum of 6 hours and a maximum of 10. Less than 6 and more than 10 hours is not recommended.
over 65 years old. For subjects in this age group, 7/8 hours of sleep is sufficient. The study National Sleep Foundation however, he also considers a time of 5 to 9 hours maximum acceptable. Sleeping less than 5 hours and more than 9 hours is not recommended.
Now that we have established how many hours it is necessary to spend in the arms of Morpheus in order to meet the day with the necessary energy, the question spontaneously arises. How can we sleep well, serene, blissful, without the risk of suddenly waking up and finding ourselves counting countless sheep jumping over a fence? We asked Prof. Carolina Lombardi, Head of the Center for Sleep Medicine in Lombardy, Department of Cardiology, Auxologico San Luca. Here are his tips.
Turn off your computer
Millions of years of evolution have taught our body one important thing: you sleep at night. For our brain, light corresponds to the day, and our body is programmed to respond physiologically to light stimuli. For thousands of years this has not been a problem. But with the advent of electricity in homes, then televisions, computers and, finally, always connected smartphone, our habits have undergone a sudden change – in contrast to the structure of our brain, which is still identical to what it was 100 years ago. Exposure of the retina to artificial light sources, such as those mentioned above, alters the production of melatonin, a hormone that can alter the rhythm of sleep and wakefulness.
Light dinner, deep sleep
There digestion affects sleep in an important way. Particularly plentiful meals or eating foods high in fats or proteins of animal origin (meat, butter, eggs, etc.) interfere with sleep, as they require the body to work harder to digest them.
Suspend sports
Physical activity, when done at the right time and at the right time, stimulates the release of endorphins and promotes relaxation and therefore a night’s rest. But since physical activity stimulates not only muscles, but also neurons, it is best to avoid it. three hours before bed.
Avoid alcoholic drinks
The feeling of drowsiness and relaxation that it causes in many people may lead to the idea that alcohol is an ally of sleep, but this is only an impression. Basically, alcoholic drinks they affect the production of serotonin and dopamine, reducing the quality of sleep.
Custom
The human body is habitual. Constantly changing your schedule and often changing the number of hours of sleep and the time you wake up is not good for your health or rest. It is as if we are constantly moving the hands of our biological clock back and forth. To get and keep quality sleep, it would be good to try going to bed and always waking up at the same time. A few small transgressions from time to time are acceptable as long as they don’t become a habit and give the body time to catch up.
Help from nutritional supplements
Real help in improving the quality of sleep, especially in view of old age, is provided by natural nutritional supplements based on melatonin, valerian, tryptophan, vitamin B12. Depending on the type of diet, age, or lifestyle, some may be more effective than others, but they certainly help not only because they affect sleep, but also improve relaxation.
Nutrilite Light sleep are cherry-flavored chewable sweets, which include ingredients, promote relaxationwhat contain melatonin, which promotes fast sleep supported by extract chamomile, as well as vitamin B6, which contributes to the normal functioning of the nervous system and normal psychological function. The formula is enriched with extracts chamomile and hopswhich contribute relaxation.
IMO Rem IT herbal supplement based on Valerian As well as passion flowerUseful for encouraging nightly rest and relaxation.
B / Dream from VitaVi is a supplement that not only speeds up the time to fall asleep, but also thanks to a combination of highly dosed ingredients such as Melatonin from vegetable raw materials, Ashwagandha KSM-66 ®, Magnesium bisglycinate from Albion Minerals®, tryptophanEscolzia californica and vitamin B6, contributes to a good rest.
Mind the gummy dream is a food supplement containing melatonin, which contributes to rapid falling asleep; lavender, which improves the quality of sleep, as well as fighting anxiety and reducing stress levels; lemon balmwhich contributes to the reduction of nocturnal awakenings e magnesiumwhich helps to reduce physical and mental fatigue. Blueberry aroma begins to act after 15 minutes, is non-addictive and helps reduce fatigue.
Source: Elle