There is a reason why people in the morning tend to wake up earlier – part of the natural aging process. Willie B. Thomas via Getty Images
There are many jokes around older adults awakening before the sun, and even more about adolescents late sleep habits. It turns out to be true for them: the time our body naturally goes to sleep and wakes up is not only part of our genetics, but also part of the natural aging process.
As we grow old, our bodies change both inside and out, which is a major factor in sleep changes that occur later. ‘Like most things that change with age are not just one reason, and they are all connected, ”said Cindy Lustig, a professor at the University of Michigan.
We have asked Lustig and other experts to end the main reasons for this and what you can do to retreat if you only want those few extra zzz hours.
Previous awakening times are part of the natural aging process.
Like other aspects of our physical and mental health, the brain becomes less reacting with aging.
“Brain wires are unlikely to feel … And they respond to the input as well, because it is an aging brain,” said dr. Sairam Parthasarathy. These inputs include sunset, sunlight, dishes, social clues and physical activity that help mark where we are during the day.
“This is all we call Time Givers, or they spend time on the brain,” he said. In other words, they help the meaning of the brain where it is in a 24 -hour circadian cycle.
So the younger person can help the brain understand that sleep time is after a few hours; For a person, this connection may not happen to an older connection.
Nerves that are believed to give brain time marks Degeneration as a brain, said Parthasarathy. THis inability to feel time for clues is the reason why older people tend to get tired of their children or grandchildren. And as a result, you wake up completely rested and before the rest of the world.
The light accepted by the eyes is also part of it.
“It is interesting that one of the [the reasons] Vision changes that occur with age seem to reduce the intensity of the light stimulation that our brain receives, which plays an important role in determining “our circadian clock” and holding it on the road, “said Lustigas.
Parthasarathy explained that this is especially true for people with cataracts, which affects more than 50% of Americans from 80 years and older, according to the National Health Institutes. Cataract causes blurred vision, double vision and overall vision of problems.
“If There is a cataract, the evening light is not as much as the eye, according to the brain, the sunset is earlier than when it actually found, ”said Parthasarathy.
Why is it important? Because visual problems are caused by cataracts, the body begins to release melatonin (sleep hormone) earlier than it should. For younger people, melatonin “starts raising after sunset,” said Parthasarathy, so after a few hours you usually feel tired. People with cataracts whose brain believe that the sunset has been before, the sunset they perceive are earlier, so they are tired faster in the evening. And going to bed faster means waking up earlier.
“There is some evidence that cataract removal surgery can help improve sleep quality and duration with the help of these hints of light,” Lustig said.
How much your eyes take on every night when you are ready to sleep. LWA/DANN TARTIF via Getty Images
If you are you, you can take a few steps you can take better sleep.
According to Parthasarathy, if you are fighting this problem, you should disregard the advice of postpone the screens and instead of revealing yourself in the late evening. This can mean a walk outdoors before the sun goes down, read a book on a bright iPad, get artificial bulbs for your home or watch TV on a bright screen.
He said these bright lights to the brain would tell you that the sun has not yet descended, which will hold melatonin production. To help yourself be a little later (and sleep a little later
The exact time you should reveal brightly, vary and may take some attempts and mistakes, but he said you should reach about two hours of exposure – and you should definitely keep the light after sunset.
Lustig added that you should avoid alcohol at bedtime – “MeHat Nightcap can force you to sleep, it actually disrupts your sleep quality. ‘ In addition, she said exercise could help you get better, and the morning sun can help your circadian watch follow the rising of the sun and set the clues.
In general, changes in sleep patterns are part of life. While some of these factors are out of control, you can also neutralize them with healthy habits to best rest.