We all want to slow down the ageing process, right? The fastest way to speed up the aging process is through sleep deprivation. In this busy world, we all find plenty of things to do before bedtime to distract ourselves from actually slowing down and going to sleep, which is critical for rebuilding and repairing our bodies. In a 24-hour period, our physical bodies go through two states of metabolism: catabolism and anabolism. Ideally we should spend approximately 50% of our time in each state but when we are sleep deprived we spend more time in the catabolic state which will speed up the ageing process.
When we wake up in the morning our bodies go into a catabolic state which is induced by sunlight, eating and changes in hormone levels. These changes include: higher cortisol (adrenal hormone) levels, elevated thyroid hormones, higher sex hormone levels and a variety of other compounds that drive the cardiovascular system and metabolism. Catabolism is associated with breaking down of certain molecules in order to make energy, which does have a cost to the physical body. This provides the energy necessary to perform all of our day-to-day activities.
In the evening when it is dark our bodies began to go into an anabolic state. This is the process of repair, regeneration, rejuvenation and detoxification of the body. If we are going to bed too late, suffer from sleep-disordered breathing, snack before bed or consume alcohol within 3 hours of bedtime we are reducing the amount of time that we are in an anabolic state, which will lead to premature aging. Some estimate that the percentage of people with sleep disordered breathing after age 40 is close to 50% of the population, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, memory loss and rapid ageing. Americans tend to eat the largest meal of the day in the evening and then some people even snack after dinner which causes the body to maintain the catabolic state (break down) long after going to bed. This leads to a deficit rebuilding and repair and is certainly a cause for more rapid aging.
In order to look and feel your best:
Try to go to bed before 10PM and get 7-8 hours of sleep in the summer and 8-9 hours in the winter months
Consider taping your mouth shut at night to encourage nasal breathing and increase Nitric Oxide production (read “Breath” by James Nestor for more information on this subject
Eat a smaller evening meal and no snacking or consumption of alcohol within 3 hours of bedtime to allow for sufficient metabolism
Consider a sleep study or evaluation of your airway - especially if you snore, wake up with headaches, suffer from fatigue or had standard orthodontia (this may increase the risk of a narrowed airway
Do all of the other things mentioned above to improve sleep and slow down the ageing process
-Dr. Logan
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