Sleep and cognition research has long been interlinked, though most studies do not investigate whether age-related changes to sleep physiology alter memory consolidation. Recent work suggests that fragmented sleep increases cellular senescence and DNA damage which accelerate biological aging.
Poor sleep is often associated with the aging process; however, getting sufficient restful restful can actually reverse it in numerous ways.
1. Improved Memory
Studies conducted by Cortese and his University of Missouri colleagues demonstrate the power of sleep to enhance memory as well as reverse or even stop the normal aging process. For their four-night sleep laboratory experiment, 29 older adults between 61 and 86 spent four nights sleeping well each night – some participants experiencing partial or total lack of rest; others being sleep deprived on one or two of those nights; brain scans showed those sleeping poorly saw an increase in biological aging genes while those sleeping soundly experienced no such changes.
The results of the sleep-aging study reveal that memory consolidation and encoding quality may play an essential role both for normal aging and dementia. Consolidation is thought to be critical in retrieval, with specific memories often tied together by stronger associations between their pieces of information.
Previous studies on memory consolidation and aging have shown that middle-aged adults exhibit decreased evidence for overnight consolidation, particularly those memories with medium encoding quality. To investigate further, this present study employed polysomnography (PSG) and structural MRI to detect patterns of interdependent changes to sleep physiology and brain structure that correlate with age; then using Partial Least Squares correlation, they assessed this profile for potential memory consolidation associations.
4. Less Inflammation
Sleep-derived anti-inflammatory cytokines help combat chronic inflammation and oxidative stress that contribute to disease.
Melatonin is an effective immune modulator with both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory actions documented in isolated cells and leukocyte-derived cell lines. While its pro-inflammatory actions may prove useful in high-grade inflammation situations such as sepsis, they could potentially become detrimental when applied at lower-grade inflammation conditions such as in aging or neurodegenerative disease conditions.
Chronic and systemic inflammation aren’t always immediately noticeable, but can contribute to heart disease and other serious medical conditions. Get plenty of rest to combat this silent yet dangerous threat to our wellbeing.
One night of poor sleep can dramatically alter molecular processes that drive immunity and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, increasing inflammation and other cellular dysfunction. Furthermore, poor sleep increases accumulation of near-senescent (or near-senescent) cells leading to inflammation and other dysfunction, due to increased expression of pro-inflammatory SASP factors and decreased telomerase activity resulting in shorter telomeres and epigenetic aging accelerated by epigenetic aging processes.
5. Lowers Blood Pressure
Research suggests that sleep acts as a restorative process to ensure biological health and lessen vulnerability to disease. A growing body of evidence links poor sleeping patterns and long sleep duration with elevated markers of inflammation.
Studies have demonstrated that just one night of partial sleep deprivation can activate genes associated with biological aging. Furthermore, recent research indicates that sleep loss promotes production of reactive oxygen species as well as alters mitochondrial DNA in cells.
Sleep helps lower blood pressure, relax blood vessels and increase circulation by providing vital nutrient-rich blood to skin, hair, organs and extremities. Studies have also demonstrated how sleep apnea accelerates biological aging if left untreated; with appropriate treatments it may even reverse itself; University of Missouri researchers are currently testing whether adherence to a sleep-healthy lifestyle can prevent premature biological aging as well as chronic diseases like Alzheimer’s.
6. Reduces Fine Lines and Wrinkles
Sleep provides the body with many repairing and restorative processes that can make a noticeable difference in the appearance of aging skin. Although we cannot stop new wrinkles from forming overnight or reverse the process with proper skin care – such as getting enough restful sleep each night, living according to your circadian rhythm, limiting sun exposure, using antioxidant-rich skincare products, facial toners or serums – and using sun protection creams when possible.
Sleep deprivation leads to elevated cortisol levels, which in turn break down collagen and elastin (key components in giving skin its elasticity), speeding cellular aging. Furthermore, this leads to less human growth hormone being produced which supports healthy cell turnover as well as thickening your skin. According to dermatologist Debra Jaliman of Skin Rules.
Jaliman suggests sleeping on your back to reduce wrinkles and use high thread count sheets and silk pillowcases with low friction between skin and fabric, such as those found at luxury hotels. Avoiding direct sun exposure, quitting smoking and using anti-age moisturizer can all also be helpful. Incorporating plenty of sleep into daily life is another beneficial habit which slows arterial aging by providing nutrients directly into skin cells resulting in improved circulation, as well as giving healthy pigment to it!
7. Improves Skin Texture
Sleep is like giving your face and hair the full spa treatment; that’s because sleep is when hormones that support cellular health and youthful appearance go to work. Poor sleeping patterns accelerate biological aging and contribute to wrinkles, dull skin, puffy eyes and unhealthy nails among other signs.
Sleep allows the body to produce anti-inflammatory chemicals that work to repair damage done throughout the day by freeing up blocked pores and improving skin appearance. Furthermore, good quality rest reduces stress which is a major source of pimples and blackheads even among adults. Furthermore, good rest promotes healthy circulation by slowing arterial aging; this allows more blood flow with nutrients for hair, nails and skin health resulting in improved health overall and higher satisfaction with appearance as reported by people who receive quality sleep than those who don’t; research also shows less intrinsic skin aging as well as faster recovery from UV exposure while reporting higher satisfaction with appearance levels than those who get less quality rest.
8. Lowers Risk of Heart Disease
Studies have demonstrated that poor sleep can increase the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). A variety of factors such as inflammation response, lipid metabolism, oxidative stress and endothelial function all play a part in creating cardiovascular lesions.
Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles claim that inadequate sleep leads to an acceleration of gene activity that accelerates biological aging. Their research of 29 healthy adults demonstrated this by showing their genes reacting similarly as those with signs of heart disease.
Studies show that rapid aging increases your likelihood of cardiovascular problems, particularly among those with preexisting conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes. Studies indicate that getting sufficient sleep could slow genetic aging, potentially helping prevent cardiovascular diseases and even lowering dementia risks.