Arizona Center on Aging -Optimal Aging

TOPIC 9: Sleep

Nothing is more frustrating than not being able to sleep. Tossing and turning, your mind racing. What can you do?

There are things you can do, but first, it's very important to understand how we sleep.

"Most people fall asleep in about 5 minutes," says Dr. Stuart Quan. He heads up the University of Arizona Sleep Disorders Center. He is a nationally recognized authority on sleep. Dr. Quan tells us that sleep is divided into four stages plus REM sleep.

Stage one and two: "Your Brain waves are slowing down a bit." Dr. Quan says, "So we deem you asleep. Within 10 to 15 minutes, you're into stage two sleep which is the greatest proportion of sleep. It occupies 50% of the time you are asleep in a normal person."

Finally there is stages three and four and REM or rapid eye movement. That's when we dream. Each stage lasts about two hours. We should be getting four of these cycles, or about 8 hours of sleep.

Some people need more, some need less. But 8 or 9 hours is ideal to re-energize the body. It's important to note that everyone has a "bad night's sleep" every once and a while. But how do we know if you have a problem?

"If they feel good, they feel alert, they're showing up for life without any problems, they are probably getting enough sleep. But if they're waking up even if they don't remember it, don't feel good, dragging themselves, usually there is a problem" says Kate Hamilton, a Canyon Ranch sleep expert.

She studies sleep and why it's important to longevity. She says recent studies tell the story, "The studies seem to tell us right now that if people have chronic sleep problems, they might be taking years off their life." Conversly, people who sleep well, live longer and healthier.

So what can you do to get a better night's sleep? First off, rule out the possibility that there's a medical problem. If it isn't medically caused, it could be environmentally caused. Here are some tips. Sleep only when you are sleepy. If you can't fall asleep within 20 minutes, get up. Don't take naps. Get up and go to bed at the same time every day.

Do not exercixe or eat a big meal at least 4 hours before bedtime. Also, no caffine or alcohol before bedtime. Make sure your room is quiet, cool and dark.