Sleep

I’m about to reveal the “sweet spot” for sleep that can help you maintain good mental and physical health. 

Once we reach middle age, we need to sleep a certain number of hours each night to maintain good health. And that number is 7. No more, no less. 

Researchers at the UK’s University of Cambridge analyzed data from nearly half a million people aged 38 to 73. 

The result: 7 hours a night was the optimal amount of sleep for cognitive performance.

The data also showed that fewer than 7 hours of sleep AND more than 7 hours was linked to reduced mental processing speed, visual attention, memory, and problem-solving skills.

Study participants who slept 7 hours a night also experienced less anxiety and depression, and higher overall wellbeing, compared to when they slept longer or shorter periods of time.

The researchers say one reason is that getting less than 7 hours a night means people are getting less “deep sleep.” And without that restorative deep sleep, damaging proteins build up in the brain, which is one of the hallmarks of dementia.

Too little sleep also hurts the brain’s ability to flush out toxins, which can trigger inflammation and age-related brain diseases.

And sleeping more than 8 hours a night after middle age is linked to depression. So, to maximize your brain function in middle age and beyond? 7 hours is your sweet spot.

Here’s why I now use a sleep mask….and maybe you should too!

Research has shown that even relatively dim light when we sleep – the equivalent of a hallway light – can have surprisingly profound effects on our brain health. 

According to Northwestern University’s School of Medicine, light at night signals danger to the brain because the brain isn’t expecting it. That increases the brain’s autonomic “fight-or-flight” system, which makes it harder to go into deep sleep. 

But the solution is simple. Get an eye mask. According to the journal Sleep, after just two nights of wearing an eye mask to bed, study subjects showed improvements in learning, reaction time, and the ability to learn new motor skills – like learning a new sport, or an instrument.

All those improvements were linked to an increase in slow-wave sleep – which is the most restorative kind of sleep. And being in near-total darkness, because of an eye mask, promotes that slow-wave sleep! It helps the brain restore and renew itself during rest.

It takes a few nights to get used to the sleep mask but what a difference! Make sure you get one with indentations for your eyes, so the mask is not pressing on your eyelashes. JT.

If you want to fall asleep, the experts say the solution is the same whether you’re 3 years old, or 73 years old!  

Let’s face it – most 3 year olds aren’t calm and serene. They’re over stimulated – but so are we as adults! So pediatric emergency medicine physician Dr. Hasan Merali, says we should all have the same routine.

Have a set bedtime. Dr. Merali says, data shows regular bedtimes teach your body and brain to expect sleep at a certain time, so your sleep-inducing hormones kick in.  

Also, take a hot bath or shower about 90 minutes before bed. According to a comprehensive study by the University of Texas, a hot bath or shower significantly shortens the time it takes to fall asleep. That’s because our body temperature needs to drop before sleep, and a hot shower dilates your blood vessels, speeding up that process. 

Then, apply lotion – just as you would to a baby. In studies, when infants received a bedtime massage with lotion, they experienced longer periods of sleep. And the same thing is true for adults. 

Finally, engage in a quiet activity. Reading a bedtime story to a toddler outs them right to sleep. And you can calm your own brain by reading. Dr. Merali says language-based bedtime routines are “associated with longer nighttime sleep duration.” Translation? Reading will help you sleep more soundly.