Trouble Sleeping? New Research Tells Us Why & What to Do

Raise your hand if you have trouble sleeping?🖐️Yeahhhhh… If you’re over 40, you’re not alone! I struggle with it, too! Sometimes I can’t fall asleep. Sometimes I can’t stay asleep. And sometimes I wake up too early.

This is a serious issue. Not getting enough sleep is linked to a shorter life expectancy, weight gain, increased blood pressure and cholesterol levels, a higher risk of heart disease, and even some types of dementia.

Thankfully, a new 2023 study by the National Sleep Foundation sheds some light on the subject and can help us know what to do about it. With the busy holiday season coming, it’s time to work on this!

Trouble Sleeping? Here are the Issues

Typically, starting in midlife, people wake more often, have more trouble falling back asleep, and tend to rise for the day too early. (Someone has clearly been spying on me!😆)

According to the Sleep Foundation study, about 55% of Americans aged 40-49 and about 58% of those ages 50-64 have “low general sleep health.” The reasons:

• Stress
• Medical Conditions
• Normal Biological Changes

Let’s break down age-related sleep issues and figure out what to do.

Sleep “Architecture” Changes

Sleep architecture is the basic pattern of normal sleep. You experience two main types of sleep—rapid eye movement (REM) and non-rapid eye movement (NREM). Experts identify these types using brain-wave patterns, eye movements, and muscle tone. NREM sleep is divided into stages 1, 2, 3, and 4, representing a continuum of relative depth. Stage 3 of NREM sleep is the deepest sleep of the sleep cycle.

The Problem:

I hate to break it to you😬, but sleep changes start in your 20s. Starting then, the amount of deep, restorative sleep we get at night begins declining. By our 40s and 50s, it becomes noticeable. What makes this even more troubling is that deep sleep is critical for repairing muscle and bone and strengthening your immune system. Researchers believe this is tied to the decline in the number of neurons in the brain that promote sleep and wakefulness as we age.

What You Can Do:

Although we can’t reverse age-related sleep changes, we can double down on good sleep practices. Here’s what the experts suggest:

1. Maintain a regular sleep-wake schedule. Figure out what time you need to get up. Count back 8 hours. That’s your bedtime.
2. Try not to think of sleep as a chore, but as something to look forward to each day.
3. Be physically active during the day.
4. Avoid caffeine eight hours before bedtime.
5. Keep the bedroom cool, dark, and quiet.
6. Prompt your body and mind that sleep is coming with a relaxing wind-down routine.
7. Avoid screens for 1-2 hours before bed.
8. If you awaken, DO NOT look at the clock or your phone. (I told you, Bob!🤣)
9. If you cannot get back to sleep, get out of bed and do something soothing like reading📖or listening to music🎶until you feel sleepy.

One thing I’ve found that works for me is to signal to my body that sleep is coming by easing myself toward relaxation as soon as I “finish” my day. If I’ve been out of the house, I change into loungewear as soon as I get home! If I’ve been working from home, I make the change as soon as I am done for the day and even before I make dinner. If Bob and I go out to dinner, I get into my pajamas as soon as I get home.

Sleep Disorders Become More Common

Sleep apnea becomes more common in your 40s and 50s, especially in men. (Rates for women tend to rise after menopause.) Part of the reason for this is midlife weight gain—specifically in the neck. (The extra flesh can compress the airway.) It’s not just weight gain, though! That age-related sagging that we fight so hard in our faces😆and upper arms💪also affects the tissue in our throats—making our airways more prone to collapsing, causing sleep apnea.

It’s probably not news to you, but insomnia (having trouble falling or staying asleep) also becomes more of an issue in midlife🙄. Experts say the number one reason for insomnia is…drumroll, please🥁…stress. Although stress can affect us at any age, midlife can be particularly challenging, juggling kids, aging parents, and work responsibilities—likely in high-level jobs. (For more details on midlifers as the sandwich generation, see THIS post.)

Lack of sleep raises adrenaline and cortisol levels, creating many biochemical effects in the body. When stress hormones can’t power down long enough, it can lead to significant health problems. Not enough sleep means the brain never has a chance to file the day’s events properly because the fact-storing function occurs during the three phases of non-REM sleep. Emotional processing happens during REM sleep, when dreams are formed. REM sleep is critical for emotional memories—how we relate to other people—making it essential for our mental health.

What You Can Do:

Mild cases of sleep apnea can often resolve with weight loss, a change in sleeping position, or an over-the-counter oral device. (Bob uses THIS one, and it’s really helped his snoring.) More serious cases of sleep apnea can be treated with CPAP machines that utilize air pressure to open the airway.

For insomnia, stress relief is vital. Experts recommend exercise (which may be as effective as an anti-depressant), journaling, praying, or talking with a friend, pastor, or counselor to help manage stress.

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Perimenopause & Menopause Issues

Perimenopause and menopause symptoms include hot flashes, night sweats, and hormonal fluctuations, which can fuel anxiety and depression. In addition, the loss of estrogen and progesterone contributes to women’s increased risk of post-menopausal sleep apnea.

What You Can Do:

For hot flashes and sleep problems, hormone therapy (either estrogen alone or combined with progesterone) can provide relief. If you can’t or don’t want to use hormones, antidepressant medications can also be used to treat the same issues. Treating those issues can significantly improve sleep, along with pajamas and cooling sheets designed to help with this issue specifically.

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I sleep almost exclusively in Soma’s Cool Nights sleepwear for this very reason! Not only that, but when we furnished our little loft in Waco, we opted for Bedsure Cooling Sheets. They’re made from rayon derived from bamboo and feel cool to the touch. They’re such a reasonable price and right on Amazon.

Health Issues

Midlife health issues can also affect your sleep. Here are some of the worst offenders:

1. Back pain
2. Arthritis
3. For men in their 40s and 50s, more frequent bathroom trips caused by an enlarging prostrate.
4. Medications (Even blood pressure medicines can interfere with sleep!)

What You Can Do:

Although your health condition may be long-term or chronic, there are things you can do to take back some control.

1. Address underlying health conditions and treat pain with “alternative” therapies like heat, massage, and physical therapy if possible.
2. Drink all of your fluids at least two hours before bed. (And avoid alcohol.)
3. Ask your doctor or pharmacist to review your medications to see if any might be contributing to your sleep problems. You may be able to change something as simple as the timing or even the type of medication to make them less likely to disrupt your sleep.

While there’s no doubt that stress, illness, and biological changes can cause sleep trouble, there are things you can do about it! I’m right there with you, my friends!

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