It is common knowledge that lack of sleep or poor quality sleep gives rise to a whole host of health problems. Perhaps many of us have experienced it first hand. If you consider it nothing more than a daily annoyance, you’ll have to reconsider your stand again. Research by Jeffrey Iliff, a brain scientist at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, indicates that lack of sleep could lead to Alzheimer's disease, also commonly known as dementia.

Among research animals that don’t get proper sleep, toxins build up and damage the brain (yes animals get Alzheimer’s too). It is thus assumed that during sleep, the brain clears our toxins and consequently, lack of sleep time causes the brain to fail to conduct this duty adequately. More advanced research will have to be done with human subjects to further prove the results.

Nevertheless, lack of sleep is certainly detrimental to everyday functions, and people who have contracted Alzheimer’s disease have had known sleeping problems. There are solutions for the average person who has trouble getting shut-eye. However, as we age, getting sufficient deep sleep does get challenging due to decreasing melatonin, even if one is not plagued by other health problems.

Senior citizerns who are already vulnerable to health conditions, should not cast off lack of sleep as a natural process of ageing, but instead strive to get the required amount of sleep, which means 7 to 8 hours a day, for optimal health. Here are some tips to combat sleeping problems related to ageing:

Keep the mind and body active in the day so that you’ll crave rest at night. Exercise regularly and indulge in your hobbies and social activities with friends and loved ones. If you have plenty of time to spare, volunteering and attending classes are good ways to expend that extra energy.

Do things that improve your mood. Keep yourself occupied with activities you enjoy. Talk to someone about your problems, so that you can go to bed with a light heart and head.

Get some sunlight in the morning. Sunlight helps to regulate production of melatonin, which is essential for sleep.

Limit caffeine, alcohol and nicotine, which will affect the quality of sleep.

Seek doctor’s advice on medical conditions and medications that prevent you from sleeping. Lack of sleep can certainly interfere with your recuperation and the doctor would surely wish to be aware if you have trouble sleeping.

If there is a tendency of waking up to use the bathroom at night, refrain from drinking water 2 hours before bed. Instead, get your required daily 8 glasses of water in the day time.

Snoring and sleep apnea are symptoms of breathing problems during sleep disorder and they occur more frequently with age. Be sure to have them checked out by a doctor. Also consider investing in ear plugs if your partner is a snorer.

Have a comfortable sleeping environment that is dark, quiet, of the right temperature, safe and tidy (no piles of unrelated stuff on your bed).

Go to sleep at a regular time everyday, and lie down even if you cant fall asleep right away. Allow the mind to relax and eventually drift off to sleep.


If try as you might, you simply cant sleep, or if you find yourself constantly feeling tired and sleepy in the day, do consult a doctor. Lack of sleep should not be brushed off easily!
For this year ahead, make it your resolution to get good quality sleep for 8 hours each day!


This entry was posted on Friday, January 08, 2016 and is filed under , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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