It is a fact, the world population's life expectancy is increasing and with it the number of elderly people. With the advancement of medicine combined with the development and emergence of the Computer and Technology Age, it allowed humanity to improve the health care system and methods, as a result led to the increase in life expectancy. In this regard, health care in elderly population debates have been important. Among the issues discussed, one of them is related to the importance of sleep in aging. 

The article “Sleep And Aging | The Handbook For Seniors And Caregivers”, published by PrimeClean, reports what are the main difficulties faced by the elderly during sleep, the importance of sleep in aging and tips for seniors to sleep with better quality. According to the article, which corroborates with several scientific studies, sleep is extremely relevant and brings many benefits to human health. A good night's sleep promotes brain neuroplasticity and with it improves the ability to concentrate and memory. Additionally, it is during this period that occurs cellular restoration, elimination of body metabolites and toxic substances, such as free radicals, as well as immune system repair. Through these biochemical mechanisms, sleep allows the prevention of disease. 

According to scientific studies cited in the article “Sleep and aging”, the elderly population generally has greater difficulty sleeping, this fact would be related to lower levels of slow- waves sleep. Difficulty in getting a good night's sleep can lead to impaired memory, greater irritability, feeling more depressed and more risk for accidents in the elderly. Besides the decrease in slow-waves sleep, other factors are also related to insomnia in the older population. Among them, changes in circadian rhythm, development of unhealthy habits before sleep, including caffeine intake, use of electronic devices while sleeping and naps during the day, changes in the level of melatonin and physical problems such as apnea and cardiac insufficiency, are some of the issues that increase the third age to get a nice night sleep. 

Through these scientific studies it is possible to understand that as we age, physiological factors and unhealthy habits can change the quality of sleep, thus harming the health of the elderly. If we want to take care of the people we love, as well as promote healthy aging, we must guide our seniors to seek healthier quality of life, which can start with good practices and habits at bedtime. 

Reference:

[1] PrimeClean, 2021. https://myprimeclean.com/blogs/primeclean/sleep-and-aging-a-handbook-for-seniors-and-caregivers