Deep Sleep: The
Great Anti-Aging Rejuvenator
Decline in Deep Sleep Causes Men to Age
Faster
Men as young as 35 are already showing their
age, according
 to
a new study finding that changing sleep patterns in midlife
could be costing men as much as 75 percent of a hormone known to
prevent aging, namely growth hormone.
Previous studies have focused on growth hormone
deficiencies in older men and women. Low growth hormone, low
testosterone (in males) and high insulin are all associated with
increased central obesity (pot belly), loss of muscle mass and
reduced exercise capacity. The ratio of the waist to the hip is
a basic health and longevity biomarker, excellent being 8 to 10
ratio. But finding that human growth hormone (Hgh) decrease
starts when men are in their 30s was unexpected, says Eve Van
Cauter, professor of medicine at the University of Chicago and
lead author of the study.
'When drug intervention targets older adults,
that usually means over 65 years. The age range 35-50 is
therefore younger than what is considered the entry into old
age,' says Van Cauter.
The results of the study appear in the Journal
of the American Medical Association. The study involved
149 healthy men, ages 16 to 83, none of whom had a history of
sleep disorders or took medications. Researchers mapped the
chronology of age-related changes in sleep duration and found
that the first stage of declining sleep quality hits men between
the ages of 25 and 45!
Although total sleep time remained constant as men moved into
midlife, the proportion of time spent in deep sleep declined
from 20 percent for men under 25 to less than 5 percent for
those over 35! At the same time their amount of growth
hormone, which is secreted primarily during deep sleep, declined
by about 75 percent!
Hormone Therapy for Younger Men?
This study suggests that growth-hormone replacement therapy
should be considered for younger men.
Dr. Hyman Ryback, a White Plains, N.Y.,
otolaryngologist who treats patients with sleep disorders,
agrees with Van Cauter's findings about the deterioration of
sleep quality as men age.
'I can't confirm those numbers, but I see a lot of patients and
can confirm a lack of sleep as men get older.' But he
would be skeptical about jumping into growth hormone replacement
(injection) therapy. 'There's a lot of controversy about
it. It's supposed to be a fountain of youth for men, make
muscles bigger, help with 'male menopause' -- but no one really
knows.'
Van Cauter has not conducted sleep/hormone studies with women
because their sleep quality is affected by a variety of other
factors including menstrual cycles, hot flashes and hormone
replacement therapy.
Also studied by researchers was the second stage
of deterioration of sleep due to aging, which occurs after age
50, Van Cauter says. Total sleep time begins to decrease by
about 27 minutes for each decade into the 80s, and men
experience more frequent night-time awakenings and a significant
reduction in rapid eye movement (REM), or dream sleep.
(Deep sleep and REM sleep are considered different categories of
sleep, according to experts, identified by different brain waves
and, of course, rapid eye movement.)
A decrease in REM sleep appears to be associated
with elevated levels of cortisol, a stress-related hormone that
heightens attention and alertness. Cortisol levels normally peak
in the mornings and decline to low levels at night, matching a
person's sleep patterns, but those with decreased REM sleep
appear to have higher cortisol levels at night.
'Our data supports the concept that decreased
sleep quality contributes to the wear and tear resulting from
over-activity of the stress-responsive systems,' Van Cauter
says. The news of the role of cortisol in sleep is not
new, says Ryback. 'People have different cortisol levels
that peak at different times -- you know the stories of early
risers, late risers, night owls,' he says.
It's not enough to get enough sleep. Now you have to get enough
of the right kind of sleep. That means deep sleep, which
supports growth hormone release and the repair and regeneration
which naturally follows.
Sleep and Health, Intimately Related
An article in the June 3 issue of New Scientist says if you
ignore your body's natural clock by working and playing at any
time of the day or night, you could set a time bomb for illness,
injury and even death, according to sleep experts. The price of
ignoring your natural sleep patterns can range from aches and
pains obesity, depression, heart disease to chronic fatigue
syndrome . A regular bedtime can be as important to your health
as stopping smoking or cutting back on saturated fat. Your
biological clock, nestled in the hypothalamus region of your
brain, controls what time you eat and rest, the rhythmic surge
of hormones, changes in body temperature, immune system activity
and a host of other body functions.
Different people have different sleep patterns.
Some are morning people while others are nocturnal creatures.
Problems arise when you ignore your natural body rhythms to meet
the demands of work or family, says the article.
People who restrict their sleep or are engaged
in shift work where sleep becomes fragmented and disturbed are
at risk for cardiovascular disease. This has been shown in
nurses who have been engaged in shift work over a long period of
time. They show an increased risk for heart attacks.
Sleep debt can also contribute to depression,
and lost sleep creates dangers at work and on the roads. Sleep
deprivation results in impairment in people's capabilities to
operate in their usual, expected way, and they would not
necessarily know that they are impaired.
Most people require roughly seven to eight hours
of sleep a night to stay alert through the day. Warning signs of
lack of adequate quality sleep include forgetfulness,
irritability, confusion, fatigue, low libido and depression.
What To Do
Exercise, avoid caffeine after 12 PM, use dark rooms or sleeping
masks; keep bedrooms cool and take hot baths.
There are three different classes of natural products to promote
sleep: Herbs like valerian, passion flower, hops, kava
kava, and the minerals calcium and magnesium can work for adults
of any age. It may take two weeks for the effects to be noticed
by some.
Melatonin is preferable the more above 40 you
are. Also, night workers, those traveling across time zones,
those with high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and women
with hot flashes often do well with melatonin.
5-HTP is the other great natural sleep inducer.
It is also an antidepressant, anti-anxiety and tends to curb
carbohydrate and chocolate craves. Therefore, if your depression
is strongly related to poor and difficult sleep, 5-HTP is to be
strongly considered.
If your poor sleep is related to large amounts
of anxiety causing stress, worry and tension, and especially if
marked by failing memory, consider adding the combination of
PS-100 (phosphatidylserine) and DHEA. These are 'nootropics'
(smart nutrients) which improve learning and memory, reduce
fatty deposits in aging nerve cells (lipofuscin), and even
support nerve and memory regeneration while relieving stress
caused depression. They also counter the effect of excess
cortisol, the 'great brain ager'. An Adrenal Stress Index (ASI)
is a salivary hormone test, available by on-line mail-order,
that will pin-point the supplementation protocol that is best
for the stage of stress you are suffering.
Of course, all men over 40 and every woman who
has reached the change of life are encouraged to consider HGH
enhancement using safe and affordable hgh secretagogues* as the
key hormone enhancement in their anti-aging strategy.
So remember, one of the secrets of staying young
is to sleep like a baby! And by using the right combination of
lifestyle and products above, you can come closer at least.
*A secretagogue is not hormone replacement
therapy. Rather a secretagogue causes your own body to 'secrete'
a hormone. It is not hormone injections. About
the Author:
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