We all have nights every now and then when we have trouble sleeping. Traveling can cause some sleepless nights, as can infants and young children. If you’re a parent of a young child, believe me I totally understand, but the good news is this too shall pass.
If you regularly have problems getting adequate restful sleep this is something I would strongly recommend you do something about. A new study also found that sleeping poorly may age you, or how you perceive your age. And further research shows that this perceived sense of age is actually closely linked to longevity.
There were two studies conducted.The first studied 429 people between the ages of 18 and 70. They were asked if they felt older or younger than their actual age and how many nights they felt they’d slept poorly in the previous month.
The second study of 186 people ages 18-46 compared short term sleep deprivation and how they perceived their age. For two nights, participants would be in bed for nine hours and for another two nights, they would only be in bed for four hours. Perceived age and sleepiness were measured after each.
The results of the first study showed that most people felt older when they didn’t get enough sleep. In fact for each day of the month they slept poorly they felt about 3 months older than they actually were. For those in the 2nd study, 2 nights of restricted sleep made them feel approximately four and a half years older!
And if that’s not quite enough for you to take the need for adequate, restful seep seriously, according to a top esthetician, your skin produces collagen when you sleep as part of the repair process. Getting only 5 hours of sleep can contribute to 2 times as many fine lines and wrinkles as getting 7 hours of sleep would.
So as far as longevity and looking your best are concerned, maybe getting enough sleep is more important than you may have thought.
Do you prioritize getting enough restful sleep
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Yes, yes I do, Ann! I’m a world class sleeper. Sometimes annoyingly so.
I do worry about getting older though since many women have told me that they can’t sleep after their cycle changes. But I’ll just continue to focus on being the healthiest me and hopefully avoid most of that drama.
Exactly!!!! Just keep doing what you are doing. We don’t have to expect all the negative crap the world tries to say is “normal.” I remember going for a check up in my 40’s and my doctor saying we should discuss hormone replacement therapy because I would soon be experiencing hot flashes and other problems. I told him I wasn’t going to do that and I didn’t expect to have any of those negative effects. He said – that’s great, keep thinking that way. I researched and began using natural progesterone because the one and only thing I did experience was sleep disruption. But I honestly never had a hot flash and my sleep returned to normal quickly. We never have to resort to drugs and toxic stuff. Growing older is a privilege not everyone is blessed with and it doesn’t have to be a downward spiral!!
Thank you for sharing that, Ann. That’s more in line with what I believe – why would we need to take a bunch of hormones for a natural process. And at the same time, that’s the complete opposite of what I hear elsewhere.
So THIS explains why I look and feel 94! 🙂 Thanks for the info Ms. Ann.
Not true, my friend.