How you can age faster despite getting 8 hrs of sleep
A healthy adult requires seven to nine hours of sleep each day. You may well be getting seven to nine hours of sleep in total, across day and night, yet you could still be putting your health at risk. Rafia Alam spoke to Nawsabah Noor, Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at Popular Medical College and Hospital in Dhaka on this.
A range of physiological processes take place inside the human body around the clock. These processes follow the body’s biological clock, or circadian rhythm, and their patterns change according to the time of day and night. Your sleep is also closely linked to these processes. This is where an important clue to preserving youth and vitality lies.
Consider two people. One goes to bed at 10:00 pm and wakes up at 6:00 am. The other goes to bed at 2:00 am and wakes at 10:00 am. Both sleep for eight hours. Yet the effects of sleep on their bodies will not necessarily be the same.
Where is the mistake?
Both individuals get eight hours of sleep, which means they are sleeping for an adequate length of time. But one of them is sleeping at the wrong time, out of sync with the body’s biological clock.
Night-time is the body’s natural period for rest. This is the way nature intended it, and sleep tends to be of better quality at night.
As darkness falls in the evening, the body gradually begins preparing for sleep. The secretion of melatonin, the sleep hormone, increases during this period.
As light begins to enter the surroundings, melatonin levels start to fall again. Towards dawn, the secretion of cortisol increases. Cortisol is commonly known as the stress hormone and is associated with alertness and activity.
The combined effects of these processes influence the human body. Therefore, the quality of sleep is generally poorer for those who sleep more after daylight has appeared in proportion to his or her total sleep-time.
Moreover, daylight, noise and the activity of other people can all interfere with deep sleep. Sleeping at 10:00 pm generally allows for better-quality sleep than going to bed at 2:00 am.
Why does sleep quality matter?
During good-quality sleep, a person progresses through the stages of deep and lighter sleep at the appropriate times. Maintaining this cycle of deep and lighter sleep is crucial to good health. The sleep cycle is closely linked to the body’s exposure to light and darkness, as well as to the secretion of various hormones.
Growth hormone is secreted most abundantly during deep sleep. Many people know that this hormone is essential for healthy growth during childhood and adolescence. However, it is also important for repairing the body’s everyday wear and tear in adults. So, even if you sleep for eight hours, poor-quality sleep may leave you feeling far from fully refreshed.
Insulin, cortisol, growth hormone and various other hormones all play a role in regulating blood glucose levels. Sleeping at the wrong time can disrupt the balance of these hormones.
The balance between the hunger hormone ghrelin and the satiety hormone leptin can also be disturbed.
What can happen as a result?
If the body’s daily repair and recovery processes are not properly completed, and this continues day after day, a person may begin to age prematurely. Various hormonal imbalances may develop, affecting both physical and mental wellbeing.
You may continue to feel tired even after sleeping. Your mood may become more easily affected, and managing stress may become increasingly difficult.
You may gain weight, while the risk of long-term conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke may increase.
The skin may lose its natural elasticity, and wrinkles may appear at a younger age.
Bottom line
As you can see, getting seven to nine hours of sleep is not, by itself, enough to stay healthy and preserve youthfulness. It is also important to sleep at the right time.
Keep the following points in mind:
Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. Spend some time in the morning light.
You can take a nap during the day if necessary; there is no harm in doing so. However, your main period of sleep should be at night. If you are sleeping at night, make sure you sleep at night rather than shifting your main sleep to the daytime.
Try to keep your bedroom dark while sleeping. If necessary, use an eye mask.
If you work at night shifts, make your daytime sleeping environment as similar to night-time as possible. Avoid staying up at night unless unavoidable.
Teenagers need more sleep than adults, while children require even more. Make sure children and adolescents get sufficient sleep at night.