Dr. Mehmet Oz Feel Your Best
BEWARE
OF Sleep Stealers
Get Back
to Sleep
DAYTIME NAPS
20% of us take
5+ naps a month
10% sometimes
nap at work
What we know
Long naps can
interfere with
nighttime sleep.
I seldom give advice that I
don’t follow myself, but on
the matter of sleep, I confess: I could do better. Like
most medical residents, I
learned to function on little
or no sleep. Yet the fact is,
most of us need seven or
eight hours of sleep a night.
Even one sleepless night can
reduce attention and memory up to 50 percent, increase
insulin resistance (making
you more prone to diabetes),
and cause moodiness.
Nearly half of older
adults experience insomnia
at least a few nights a week.
One of three problems is
usually to blame: changes
in sleep architecture (the
unique pattern of brain
waves, eye movements,
and muscle tension we
experience during sleep),
Second, certain medications—in particular,
antidepressants, heart and
blood-pressure drugs, and
allergy meds—can interfere
with sleep. If you think your
drugs could be stealing your
sleep, check with your pharmacist or doctor to see if
there are alternatives.
Finally, chronic health
conditions such as obesity,
arthritis, and diabetes have
been linked to poor sleep
quality. Losing weight and
exercising may help.
A new study shows older
adults can improve sleep
quality by adhering to consistent daily routines—
advice I should follow myself.
Just let me sleep on it first. ;
CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT: ART STREIBER; ADAM VOORHES (PROP STYLIST: ROBIN FINLAY); ALLOY PHOTOGRAPHY/VEER. SLEEP-STEALERS SOURCE: 2008 SLEEP IN AMERICA POLL, NATIONAL SLEEP FOUNDATION
SLEEP AIDS
7% of us use
over-the-counter
sleep aids
3% use prescription
sleep medication
What we know
Long-term use of
sleeping pills may
cause moodiness,
falls—even increased
insomnia—as your
body becomes
dependent on them.
increased use of medications, and higher prevalence of chronic diseases.
Let’s start with sleep
architecture. As we age,
our sleep patterns often are
disrupted, for reasons not
fully understood. We may
take longer to fall asleep,
or we may wake up more
frequently during the night.
Some older adults experi-
ence advanced-sleep-phase
syndrome, during which
we become tired earlier in
the evening and wake up
earlier in the morning, most
likely because of changes in
our response to light expo-
sure. One remedy: Remove
all light in your bedroom.
This will prompt the pineal
gland—a pea-size gland in
the middle of the brain—to
produce enough melatonin
to help you sleep.
Health News
One more reason to shun sugar
Scientists have long known about the link between high blood pressure and
salt. Now new research finds that those who consume 74 grams or more
of fructose daily (equivalent to the sugar in 2½ soft drinks) have higher
blood pressure than those who take in less. A high-sugar diet may activate
hormones that constrict blood vessels, leading to hypertension, says University of Colorado Denver researcher Diana Jalal, M.D. —Gabrielle Redford
THE ABC’S
OF ZZZ’S
Find out more about how to overcome
sleep problems at aarp.org/zzz.
