Reader's Digest

32 | July• 2018

■Howdoesageingafectourslumber?
Youcan’texpecttosleepaswellat
65 as you did at 20. You’ll sleep for
ashortertimeandlessdeeply.And
you’ll become more sensitive to inter-
ference; for instance stress or noise
that wouldn’t have roused you when
you were younger. As such you’ll
need to take better care of your rest.

■Do these changes have an impact
onpeopleduringtheirwakinglife?
Deinitely. Just because something
isnormaldoesn’tmeanitwon’thave
consequences. he decline in sleep
qualityhastheabilitytoafect mem-
oryandoverallhealth.

■Are scientists currently working
onanytreatmentstohelpimprove
sleepintheelderly?
Yesbutthey’reallintheearlystages.
For instance to promote a deeper
sleep researchers are experimenting

with transcranial direct current

stimulation. But we can’t yet say for

sure that it works.

■Could sleeping pills help?

Therearen’tanypharmaceuticals

thatcanincreasesleep–andespe-

cially not deep sleep – without

having negative consequences the

next day.

■IsitOKfortiredseniorstohavea

nap during the day?

Ye s s o lon g a s t h at do e s n’t le ad to

insomnia at night. Keep in mind

that with age comes an increased

chance of various sleep disorders. If

you’re excessively tired all day that’s

not among the normal expected

changes. It would certainly warrant

avisittothedoctor.

Dr Julie Carrier director of the

Canadian Sleep and Circadian

Network

HowtoSeetheLight

(and Still Drift Off)

Thebluepartofthelightspectrumboostsmoodandenergyduring

daytime but can throw of your circadian clock in the hours leading

up to bedtime. Most of us are getting more blue-light exposure than

ever because of smartphones laptops and LED light which are

bluer than their

lessenergy-ecient predecessors. You could cut

downonlate-dayscreentimebutifthat’snotrealistictrywearing

amber-tintedglassesintheeveningasarecentColumbia University

Medical Center study of insomnia suferers suggests.

HOW TO ADAPT TO THE EFFECTS OF AGEING