How Does Getting Enough Sleep Keep Me Healthy Over Age 50?

Getting enough sleep as part of your daily routine is important for the majority of us to have a long and healthy life. Research has proven in many instances that people who get lots of sleep have a reduced risk of contracting various health problems such as; diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and heart disease. The important question on your mind may be, how does getting enough sleep keep me healthy over age 50? In order to help us to understand this question, we will take a look at three important things that sleep does to the body.

Quality sleep helps you maintain a healthy immune system

Drowsiness, struggling to carry out routine physical or mental tasks or even a little bit of forgetfulness is some of the things that may happen when we do not get enough sleep. These effects are easily noticeable while the long-term effects are what we sometimes don’t even remember to consider.

The long-term effects of poor sleeping habits are usually subtle and that’s why it is easy to get accustomed to sleeping poorly. Some of the long-term effects include weight gain, having colds and the flu more often. Scientists through their research have been able to determine that sleeping poorly has the capability to alter the metabolic pathways that are supposed to regulate appetite. This means that some people may end up feeling hungrier than usual. People over age fifty are at a higher risk of getting sick when maintaining poor sleeping habits.

Sleep allows your body the chance to get recharged

Researchers now believe that while we are asleep, the brain has time to be recharged. According to the researchers, part of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus is what organizes all the changes and hormones in the human body when preparing it for sleep. After our body signals us to fall asleep, it optimizes all of our metabolic processes and cardiovascular systems alongside many of our other body functions.

Sleep lowers stress and reduces the risk of heart disease

Beyond making us feel refreshed, the importance of sleep is also evident in the fact that it is key to us living a healthy life. Quality sleep assists in reducing stress levels and also in controlling blood pressure fluctuations. Controlling stress level and maintaining a healthy blood pressure may consequently reduce the risk of heart disease for older people to help them to stay healthy over 50.

So, if you are middle aged or over age 50, keep in mind that having a good night’s sleep is vital to enjoying a healthy lifestyle. It is just as important as exercising or maintaining a healthy diet.

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