How Your Health Can F-k Up Your Sleep
Science would say we’re exploring the relationship between sleep and health, and while we’ve been doing that for some time, a new study has delved into how interconnected sleep and health are. It turns out it’s not a one-way street, and that’s really important to understand because sleep problems are so widespread that they affect around 50 to 70 million Americans. About one out of three people don’t get the recommended amount of sleep to stay healthy. And if you’ve ever been around a sleep-deprived toddler, you know that tired people can be cranky.
This situation worsens as people get older. The aging process changes how the brain works, messing with a person’s sleep. This often leads to problems like insomnia and feeling excessively tired during the day. Research suggests that between 40% and 70% of older adults have some trouble with sleep.
Besides the natural changes in sleep patterns that come with aging, sleep quality often declines due to physical and mind health issues and the side effects of medications.
We know it can be tough to get proper rest when dealing with a health problem. However, few studies have explored how various health issues can disrupt sleep. Recently, a new study conducted at Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary, has shed light on this matter.
While most studies mainly focus on single diseases or medications, this study investigated how sleep patterns relate to a broad spectrum of health issues and medications within a large group of older individuals. This is an important distinction because while you can’t change the health issues you face, in some cases you may be able to change the medications used to treat them. If the medication causes sleep disruptions, an alternative may be able to improve your overall health.
Changes in Sleep Patterns Across 88 Health Measures
The scientists analyzed data from a larger research project that included 3,135 American men between the ages of 67 and 79. Between December 2003 and March 2005, the participants underwent polysomnography. This test provides valuable details about a person’s sleep, such as when they sleep, how much time they spend asleep, and the various sleep stages they go through.
Using special software, the researchers analyzed how the frequency of brain activity changed with age, health conditions, and medication use.
During the sleep study visit, participants completed a survey asking if they had been diagnosed with any of 34 different medical conditions. They also shared information about the medications they were taking and how much coffee and cigarettes they had consumed in the 4 hours before the polysomnography.
Almost half of the 88 health measures examined had a significant association with at least one sleep variable. REM sleep was the most affected, with several health metrics linked to a longer time before entering REM sleep, longer overall REM sleep time, and shorter REM sleep duration.
REM sleep is characterized by rapid movement of the eyes and is when your brain activity is similar to when you’re awake, but your body muscles are relaxed. It’s also during this sleep stage where you have most of your dreams. REM plays many important roles, including memory consolidation and processing emotions.
Sleep efficiency is the percentage of time spent asleep while in bed. Reduced sleep efficiency was found in 14 healthy issues, and a longer time to fall asleep was found in 11.
When researchers examined how different brain activity patterns during sleep relate to health, they discovered that certain patterns of brain activity tended to be associated with the same health issues. For instance, heart disease was linked to changes in mid-frequency brain activity, while brain disorders were connected to overall changes in brain activity.
Lastly, the researchers wanted to understand if changes in brain activity were linked to health issues themselves or to the medications used to treat them. When examining the effects of depression or antidepressant use, they looked at participants who were not taking antidepressants. They found that certain changes in sleep patterns, like longer time to enter REM sleep and shorter REM duration, were similar between people with depression and those taking antidepressants. However, some sleep disturbances, like increased wake after sleep onset and changes in certain brain wave frequencies, seemed to be more closely associated with depressive symptoms than with the use of antidepressants to treat those symptoms. Interestingly, among the antidepressants, only the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) was associated with changes in brain activity during sleep.
When it comes to benzodiazepines (a sedative-hypnotic), the researchers believe that the medication itself was responsible for changes in brain activity during sleep. Sleep disorders did not influence differences in brain activity during sleep in people taking them.
Future Implications
This study could help scientists understand how medical conditions can impact sleep quality and duration. Although it focused on older men, its findings could be useful for understanding sleep in other age groups as well.
For example, several health conditions have been linked to reduced sleep efficiency and longer sleep onset. Monitoring these parameters could help doctors detect health problems earlier and intervene before things get worse. Similarly, monitoring changes in REM sleep could help detect neurological and psychological illnesses.
Finally, understanding how medications influence sleep can help guide treatment decisions and minimize potential side effects.
Steps for Preventing Sleep Issues
As we get older, our sleep gets worse. But there are things you can do now to prevent more severe sleep problems later on:
- Practice good sleep habits, such as maintaining a regular sleep schedule, establishing a calming bedtime routine, and avoiding stimulants like caffeine and electronics before bed.
- Take care of yourself. Get proper treatment for any health condition you might have and maintain healthy lifestyle habits.
- If the medications you’re taking mess with your sleep, chat with your doctor about other options that might work better.
- Seek guidance from a healthcare professional if you’re having trouble sleeping.
These tips can be really helpful for getting the rest you need and living a happier, healthier life. So, why not start now? Is it nap-time yet?
