Quality Sleep Can Prevent or Delay Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s

Sleeping Positions, Exercise, Diet, and a Dark Room: How Getting a Good Night’s Sleep Can Postpone or 
Prevent Neurological Diseases

Evelyn Smith

M.S. in Library Science, University of North Texas (2012)

Addendum added January 8, 2016

Sleep that knits up the ravelled sleeve of care

The death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath

Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course,

Chief nourisher in life’s feast.

William Shakespeare, Macbeth (Act 2, Scene 2, lines 46-49)

Shakespeare was right:  Medical research confirms that getting enough good-quality sleep nourishes the brain, emptying it of the beta amyloid plaque that builds up during the day. Thus, eating a varied diet that includes nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables as well as seafood, exercising during the day, but not late in the evening, sleeping in a dark room with electronic devices stashed away, not taking anticholinergic sleeping aids and diphenhydramine (a.k.a. the antihistamine Benadryl), and sleeping on one’s side instead of the back are all effective ways of emptying the toxins that a day’s stress has built up in the brain.

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A Nutritious Diet Betters the Chance of  a Good Night’s Sleep

A Mediterranean diet induces sleep.

 

A Mediterranean diet rich in fruits and vegetables, Omega-3 fatty fish, and drinking enough water all helps dieters sleep well at night.

Grandner, Michael A., Jackson, Michael, and Gerstner, Jason R. (2013, May 1).  Dietary nutrients associated with short and long sleep duration: Data from a nationally representative sample.  Appetite. 64(1), 71-80.  Abstract only].  Science Direct.  Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S019566631300024X

To get a good night’s sleep of more than 6.5 hours also means that one must get enough Vitamin C as well as a variety of food intake, including the nutrients lutein, zezxianthin, dedecanic acid, choline, lycopene, and selenium in the diet as well as drinking enough water.  

Lutein and zeaxanthin are antioxidants found in colorful, orange and red vegetables, guarding against free radicals and cardiovascular disease as well as preventing macular degeneration (Heiting, 2014, para. 4). 

• Dedecanic acid, or lauric acid, is a glyceride found in natural fats and oils like coconut oil; it treats viral and yeast infections and prevents the transmission of HIV from mothers to children. (Lauric acid, 2015, Overview).

• Choline found in Brussels sprouts, broccoli, Swiss chard, cauliflower, asparagus, and fish, decreases inflammation (Choline, 2015, para. 16). 

• Lycopene is what puts the pink or red in water melons, grapefruits, apricots, and tomatoes along with preventing cardiovascular disease and cancer (Lycopene, 2015, Overview, para. 1-2).

• Selenium occurs naturally in drinking water, but it is also found in fish and seafood, like tuna, salmon, sardines, and shrimp, and to a lesser extent in  chicken, lamb, and beef (Selenium, 2015, para. 1).  

In summary, drink plenty of water and eat a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, and make sure to eat at least two or more servings of Omega 3 fatty-acid fish weekly.  At the same time, ration the servings of beef each week.

See: 

Choline. (2015). The World’s Healthiest Foods.  The George Mateljan Foundation.  Retrieved from http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=50

Heiting, Gary.  (2014). Lutein and zeaxanthine: Eye and vision benefits.  All About vision.  Retrieved from http://www.allaboutvision.com/nutrition/lutein.htm

Lauric acid. (2015). Find a vitamin or supplement. Web MD.  Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1138-lauric%20acid.aspx?activeingredientid=1138&activeingredientname=lauric%20acid

Lycopene. (2015). Find a vitamin or supplement. Web MD. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-554-lycopene.aspx?activeingredientid=554&activeingredientname=lycopene

Selenium. (2015). Vitamins and Supplements Lifestyle Guide.  WebMD.  Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/lifestyle-guide-11/supplement-guide-selenium

See Also:

Is tap water harmful in Alzheimer’s nutrition? (2013, February 4).  The AD plan. Retrieved from http://theadplan.com/alzheimersdietblog/recipes/is-tap-water-harmful-in-alzheimers-nutrition/

The Institute of Medicine in the United States recommends a daily intake of  13 cups of water for men and 9 cups of for women (Tap water, 2013, February 4, para. 6).

Peuhkuri, Katri, Sihvola, Mora, and Korpela, Ritta. (2012, April 27).  Diet promotes sleep duration and quality. Nutrition Research.  32(5), 309-319.  doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nutres.2012.03.009. [Abstract only].  Retrieved from http://www.nrjournal.com/article/S0271-5317(12)00063-2/abstract

Poor sleepers are more likely to favor a diet full of fats and refined carbohydrates, consume fewer vegetables, and adopt irregular meal patterns while foods that are either rich in tryptophan and/or help the synthesis of serotonin and melatonin promote soft sleep.

See:

Best and worst foods for sleep.  (2015).  Cooking Light.  Time, Inc.  Retrieved from http://www.cookinglight.com/healthy-living/health/foods-that-help-you-sleep/view-all

The food one eats for dinner plays a role in achieving optimal sleep:

• Best for sleep:  Milk, soybeans, walnuts, salmon, tart cherries, spinach, legumes, chicken, and lentils.

• Worst for sleep:  Chocolate, fatty foods, spicy foods, alcohol, and high protein meats.

(Best and worst foods for sleep, 2015, slides 1-16)

In other words, save the spicy burrito for lunch.

Dagnelli, Christine. (2015, April 22).  Serotonin-rich foods.  Livestrong.  Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/261416-serotonin-rich-foods/

• Overview:  Serotonin is a hormone that works as a neurotransmitter, calming the mid and inducing sleep (Dagnelli, 2015, April 22, para. 1).

• Proteins and Oils:  Tryptophan occurs naturally in food sources high in protein, like turkey, eggs, and Omega 3 fatty fish, but vegetarians should also note that flaxseed oil contains both tryptophan and Omega-3 fatty acids (Dagnelli, 2015, April 22, para. 2-3). 

• Fruits and Vegetables:  Serotonin occurs naturally in kiwi, bananas, sour cherries, pineapples, tomatoes and plums (Dagnelli, 2015, April 22, para. 4).

• Grains:  Foods high in Vitamin B 6, like whole-grain cereals, rice, and other complex carbohydrates, elevate serotonin levels  (Dagnelli, 2015, April 22, para. 5).

• Balanced Meals:  Talk to a physician or nutritionist about including foods high in serotonin into a healthy, balanced diet (Dagnelli, 2015, April 22, para. 6).

Jung, Alyssa. (2015). 16 foods that help you sleep.  Reader’s Digest.  Retrieved from http://www.rd.com/slideshows/foods-that-help-you-sleep/

These foods contain naturally-occurring substances that help induce sleep:

1. Walnuts
2. Almonds
3. Cheese and crackers
4. Lettuce
5. Pretzels
6. Tuna
7. Rice
8. Cherry juice
9. Cereal
10. Chamomile tea
11. Passionfruit tea
12. Honey
13. Kale
14. Shrimp and lobster
15. Hummus
16. Elk

(Jung, 2015, slides 1-17)

Top 10 foods highest in tryptophan.  (2015).  Health Alicious Ness.  Retrieved from http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/high-tryptophan-foods.php

Foods highest in tryptophan:

1. Seeds and nuts;
2. Soya;
3. Cheese;
4. Lamb, beef, pork, and game;
5. [Baked, grilled, or broiled] chicken and turkey;
6. Tuna;
7. Shellfish;
8. Oat bran and oats;
9. Beans and lentils;
10. Eggs

• Bottom Line: Rely on a nutritious and varied diet and enough exercise during the day to ensure a sound sleep.  Take a melatonin supplement or drink some chamomile tea before bedtime instead of popping a Benadryl tablet or an over-the-counter sleeping pill if you can't get to sleep!

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Over the Counter Anticholinergic Sleep Aids and Antihistamines Linked to an Increased Risk of Dementia

Drink a cup of chamomile tea instead.

Paddock, Catherine. (2015, July 9).  Over the counter sleep aids linked to dementia.  Medical News Today.  Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/288546.php

Seven years of rigorous research by the University of Washington School of Pharmacy that followed 3,500 participants has linked the risk of developing Alzheimer’s  to the use of anticholinergic drugs, including certain non-prescription sleep aids and the antihistamine Benadryl (diphenhydramine) (Paddock, 2015, July 9, para. 1 & 9 & 15).

Shelly Gray, lead University of Washington researcher, thus urges users of these drugs to talk to their physicians or nurse practitioners, who, in turn, should regularly reassess older patients’ drug regimens to look for healthier options to control the symptoms of allergies and get a good night sleep.

Reference:

Gray, Shelly L., Anderson, Melissa L., and Dublin, Sascha, et al.  (2015, March).  Cumulative Use of Strong Anticholinergics and Incident Dementia: A Prospective Cohort Study. JAMA Internal Medicine. 175(3), 401-407. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.7663. [Abstract only].  Retrieved from http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2091745

• Importance:  While many medicine with anticholinergic effects produce reversible harm upon discontinuing them, recent studies suggest that the use of increases the risk of developing dementia.

• Objective:  Researchers tested the hypothesis that links cumulative anticholinergic with a higher incidence of dementia.

• Design, Setting, and Participants:   Researchers gathered data on 3,434 cognitively-healthy participants in the Seattle, Washington long-term study, Adult Changes in Thought, conducted in association with the Seattle “health-care delivery system” from 1994 through 1996 and from 2000 through 2003, and then from 2004 until the fall of 2012, replacing study participants as deaths occurred and following all participants for two years. 

• Exposures:  Pharmacy data recorded the cumulative anticholinergic exposure as of daily standardized doses of an anticholingeric medication, such as Benadryl, over the past 10 years, excluding the last year of use. 

• Main Outcomes and Measures:    Researchers diagnosed participants with Alzheimer disease and dementias by following “standard diagnostic criteria”.  Statistical analysis adjusted for demographic characteristics, behavior, and health status.

• Results:  Researchers found a 10-year cumulative-dose-response relationship between dementia and cumulative use of anti-cholinergic drugs.

• Conclusions and Relevance:   Increased awareness among health-care professionals and older adults about the potential dangers of the prolonged use of anticholinergic drugs should minimize the risk of taking such drugs over a long period of time.

• Bottom Line:  Habitual use of over-the-counter anti-cholinergic drugs, including the antihistamine Benadryl, may be hazardous to your cognitive health.

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Research Links Poor Sleep with a Greater Risk of Developing Alzheimer’s

Poor sleep habits increase levels of Beta-amyloid plaque.

Poor sleep may be linked to Alzheimer’s disease. (2015). The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation.  Retrieved from https://www.alzinfo.org/articles/poor-sleep-may-be-linked-to-alzheimers-disease/

Lack of sleep or waking up several times during the night increases the risk of Alzheimer’s, according to several recent studies (Fisher, 2015, para. 1).  

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health tied not getting enough sleep with increased levels of beta-amyloid plaque in a study of 70 older adults with the average age of 76, finding those who slept under five hours nightly or slept fitfully had higher levels of beta-amyloid plaque in their brains (Fisher, 2015, para. 2-4). 

Research performed at the University of Rochester Medical School also suggests that sound sleep may facilitate the clearing of toxic molecules from the brain, making room for better blood flow (Fisher, 2015, para. 7).  

A six-year study conducted the University of Toronto has determined that sound sleep blunts the effects of the APOE-EA gene, better preserving their memory and thinking skills (Fisher, 2015, para. 8-10).  

Earlier studies have proven that poor sleep as well as sleep apnea increase memory loss and increase the likelihood of developing dementia (Fisher, 2015, para. 11-12). 

References:

Spira, Adam P. Gamaldo, Alyssa A., and An, Yang, et al. (2013, December).  JAMA Neurology. 70(12):1537-1543. Self-reported Sleep and β-Amyloid Deposition in Community-Dwelling Older Adults. [Abstract: Full-text available].  doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2013.4258.  Retrieved from http://archneur.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1788611

• Importance:  Research is necessary to determine whether a connection exists between disturbed sleep and neuroimaging evidence of β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition.

• Objective: Determine if a link exists between self-reported quality and quantity of sleep and the depositing of beta-amyloid plaque in the brain.

• Exposure:  “Self-reported sleep variables”.

• Main Outcomes and Measures:  “β-Amyloid burden, measured by carbon 11–labeled Pittsburgh compound B positron emission tomography distribution volume ratios (DVRs)”.

• Results: Less sleep and poorer sleep both correlated with greater deposits of beta-amyloid plaque. 

• Conclusions and Relevance:  Additional objective research is necessary to determine if sleep disturbances cause or accelerate Alzheimer disease. However, observations note that individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s spend more time in bed awake and have more fragmented sleep than cognitively healthy adults.  Similarly, the research linked not getting a self-reported, good night’s sleep, or using wrist actigraphy to measure poor sleep quality, connects insomnia and waking several times during the night with lower cognitive performance. However, research has yet to determine if poor sleep brings about neuropathological changes that result in cognitive decline.  While Kang, et al, has demonstrated that levels of Aβ in brain interstitial fluid increase with time spent awake and decrease during sleep in wild mice and a mouse model of AD, Spira, et al, has similarly demonstrated similar cerebrospinal fluid levels of Aβ in young humans. After hypothesizing that fragmented sleep, shorter sleep, and poor sleep quality resulted in an increase production of beta-amyloid plaque, researchers used self-reported sleep variables along with positron emission tomography (PET) with the tracer carbon 11–labeled Pittsburgh compound B (PiB).

• Summary: A sampling of community-dwelling older adults associated shorter sleep duration and poor sleep quality with an increase in beta-amyloid plaque. However, intervention trials will need to determine whether “optimizing sleep can prevent or slow AD progression (Spira, 2013, December, para.  21).

Kang, Jae-Eun, Lim, Miranda M., and Bateman, Randall J., et al. (2009, September 24). Amyloid-β dynamics are regulated by orexin and the sleep-wake cycle. 326(5955), 1005-1007.  [Abstract only].  doi: 10.1126/science.1180962. Retrieved from http://www.sciencemag.org/content/326/5955/1005

Using in vivo micro-dialysis in mice, researchers found that brain interstitial fluid increased with wakefulness and “significantly increased” during sleep deprivation and the infusion of Orexin, a neuropeptide that regulates wakefulness and appetite. They therefore theorized that the sleep-wake cycle and orexin may contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s.

Lim, A, S., Yu, L, and Kowgier M., et al. (2013, December). Modification of the relationship of the apolipoprotein E ε4 allele to the risk of Alzheimer disease and neurofibrillary tangle density by sleep. JAMA Neurology. 70(12), 1544-51. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2013.4215. [Abstract only].  Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24145819

• Importance:  Research has already established a genetic link between the apolipoprotein E ε4 allele and a greater risk of Alzheimers as well as associating sleep deprivation with a decline in memory and thinking skills.  Therefore, the interaction of the APOE genotype and the duration and quality of sleep may work together to influence cognitive function.

• Objective:  To determine whether better sleep quality and quantity decreases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s in individuals possessing the APOE genotype.

• Design, Setting, and Participants: As part of the Rush Memory and Aging Project, researchers conducted a longitudinal, cohort study with up to six years of follow up on 698 cognitively sound, “community-dwelling” adults with the mean age of 81.7 years—77 percent of whom were women.

• Exposures:  Actigraphic recording for up to 10 days quantified the degree and sleep consolidation as well as confirming whether participants possessed the APOE genotype.

• Main Outcomes and Measures:  Researchers tested yearly of Alzheimer’s during a six-year follow-up period as well as performing autopsies on the 201 participants who died, identify B-amyloid (Aβ)  and neurofibrillary tangles my immunohistochemistry. 

• Results:  Better sleep lessened the effect of the apolipoprotein E ε4 allele on the risk of incident Alzheimer Disease while also decreasing the rate of cognitive decline. 

• Conclusions and Relevance:  Better sleep diminishes the effect of possessing the APOE gene as well as slowing the development of beta-amyloid plaque.  Thus, timely intervention may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s in individuals who have inherited the APOE ε4+ gene.

Xie, Lulu, Kang, Hongyi 1 and Xu, Qiwu, et al.  (2013, October).  Sleep drives metabolite clearance from the adult brain. Science, 342(6156), 373-377. doi: 10.1126/science.1241224. [Abstract only].

Natural sleep or anesthesia corresponds with a 60 percent of interstitial space in the brain in living mice, resulting in an increase in exchange of cerebrospinal and interstitial fluid, thus facilitating the clearance of B-amyloid plaque during sleep.  Thus, sleep ensures metabolic homeostasis. Sleep’s restorative properties may be the result of this “enhanced removal” of neurotoxic waste products that build up in the central nervous system when animals, including humans, are awake. Thus, the restorative function of sleep may be a consequence of the enhanced removal of potentially neurotoxic waste products that accumulate in the awake central nervous system.

• Bottom Line:  Getting enough good quality sleep during the night can help rid the brain of toxins built up during the day.

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Sleeping on One’s Side More Effectively Clears the Brain of Beta Amyloid Plaque

Sleep on your side rather than your back.

Lee, Hedok, Xie, Lulu, and Yu, Mei, et al.  (2015, August 5). The effect of body position on brain glymphatic transport. The Journal of Neuroscience. 35 (31), 11034-11044.  doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1625-15.2015. [Full text].  Retrieved from http://www.jneurosci.org/content/35/31/11034.full

Sleeping on one’s side might be the most effective sleeping position for clearing soluble, beta amyloid plaque from the brain based on studies in which the heads of sleeping rats were kept in an upright position, mimicking awake posture, compared with a prone sleeping position in rats and humans (Abstract, 2015, August 5, para. 1-2).

MacKenzie, Macaela. (2015, August 10).  Can certain sleeping positions prevent brain damage better than others.  Mind and Body.  Shape.  Retrieved from http://www.shape.com/lifestyle/mind-and-body/can-certain-sleeping-positions-prevent-brain-damage-better-others

Sleeping on one’s side may help prevent [or delay] neuro-degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s according to a study published in the August 2015 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience (MacKenzie, 2015, August, para. 1).  Wastes build up in the brain during the day, and if the glympahatic pathway doesn’t effectively clear away these toxins from the brain during sleep, serious neurological disorders may result (MacKenzie, 2015, August, para. 2-3).  Researching using lab rats to mimic human sleeping positions reveals that sleeping on one’s side is 25 percent more effectively in clearing away beta-amyloid plaque than sleeping prone on one’s back (MacKenzie, 2015, August, para. 4).

Sleeping on your side could lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. (2015, August 5).  AOL.com. Retrieved from http://www.aol.com/article/2015/08/10/sleeping-on-your-side-could-lower-risk-for-alzheimer-s-disease/21220799/

A Stony Brook University study published in the Journal of Neuroscience used rodents to test how sleep positions influence the glymphatic system, which clears waste toxins from the brain (Sleeping, 2015, August 10, para. 1-3).  Side-sleeping, or lateral, rodents cleared 25 percent more amyloid beta plaque more effectively than those who slept prone on their backs (Sleeping, August 10, para. 4).

Sleeping style affects physical health. (2015). What your sleeping style says about you.  Sleep Disorders Health Center.  WebMD.  Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/what-your-sleeping-style-says-about-you?page=4

The soldier cleaning position on the back with arms to the sides as well as the starfish position lead to snoring and a poor night’s sleep while sleep apnea is also more likely to occur when sleeping on one’s back (Sleeping style, 2015, WebMD, para. 1 and 3-4).

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Westbrook, Julia. (2015, August 11).  2 sleep positions that could increase your Alzheimer’s risk.  Prevention. Retrieved from http://www.prevention.com/health/sleeping-position-and-health?cid=NL_PVNT_-_08192015_sleeppositionsalzheimers_hd

Sleeping on one’s side may be the best position to clear the brain of beta-amyloid plaque, as opposed to sleeping on the back or stomach since the brain ‘s glymphatic pathway works most effectively when the head is in this position (Westbrook, 2015, August 11, para. 2-3). Westbrook thus recommends a “good side-sleeping pillow” (Westbrook, 2015, August 11, para. 4).  One may purchase several versions of a side-pillow Online or else use extra pillows to reinforce this sleeping position.

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A Good Night’s Sleep Might Keep Mild Cognitive Impairment from Turning into Alzheimer’s Disease

 

Addendum

January 8, 2016

Chen Jiu-Chiuan, Espeland, Mark A., & Brunner, Robert L., et al. (2016, January). Sleep duration, cognitive decline, and dementia risk in older women. Alzheimer's & Dementia. 12(1), 21-33. doi. 1016/j.jalz.2015.03.004. [Full text]. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1552526015001958

Researchers found a “significant association with a higher risk for Mild Cognitive Impairment and dementia in community-dwelling women aged 65 to 80 years of age with either too little sleep—six hours of sleep or less—or too much sleep—eight hours or more—versus seven hours of sleep per night. This risk increased 36 percent in women who received too little sleep and 35 percent in women who slept too much.

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Landry, G. J. and Liu, Ambrose.  (2014, December).  Buying time: a rationale for examining the use of circadian rhythm and sleep interventions to delay progression of mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 8(6), 325. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2014.00325. [Full text].  Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4259166/

Researchers hypothesize that either accumulation of amyloid beta plaque that results in neuronal cell death or else chronic neuro-inflammation are now thought to be the cause of degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.  Recent studies also point to a relationship that exists between sleep and Alzheimer’s disease pathology.  Thus, getting enough good quality seep might reduce the risk associated with neuro-inflammation and the ε4 allele (Abstract).

Suggestions for getting a good night sleep based on research summarized by Landry and Liu include the following tips:

• Exposure to even low-levels of light from electronic devices like cell phones, digital clocks, and computers can shift the biological clock forward and also interfere with sleep quality (Landry, 2014, para. 19). Thus, sleepers may need to ban all electronics from the bedroom.

Put your cell phone in a drawer.

See also:

Bucznski, Ruth.  (2015). Do electronic devices affect sleep?  NICABM:  National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine.  Retrieved from https://www.nicabm.com/nicabmblog/brain-electronics-the-brain-and-sleep54892/

 

Study participants who read from LE-e-books within four hours of going to bed over a length of five days reported “lower subjective sleepiness” and their brain showed decreased levels of EEG delta/theta activity (Bucznski, para. 5).

Dennis, Brady.  (2014, December 22).  I-pads, tablets, smartphones disrupt sleep study finds. To Your Health.  Washington Post.  Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2014/12/22/ipads-tablets-smartphones-disrupt-good-sleep-study-finds/

Anne Marie Chang and associates in a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and conducted at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston found that when participants who read from an i-pad before going to bed instead of from print took longer to get to sleep and spent less time in REM, or rapid-eye-movement, sleep.  Furthermore, they were less alert the next morning even after getting eight hours of sleep (Dennis, 2014, December 22, para. 3-5).

Hatfield, Heather.  (2015).  Power down for better sleep. Sleep Disorders Health Center.  WebMD.  Retrieved from  http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/power-down-better-sleep

In an otherwise dark room during the night, even miniscule light from electronic devices, such as cell phones, computers, and clocks, passes through the retina and into the hypothalamus, which controls sleep, thus delaying the release of melatonin, the hormone which puts everyone to sleep at night (Hatfield, 2015, para. 6).

• Melatonin initiates sleep onset (Landry, 2014, para. 34).  Furthermore, Melatonin is available as a supplement.  

• Don’t exercise just before going to bed:  Exercise before sleep advances Circadian rhythms (Landry, 2014, para. 34).

• Older adults who exercise experience better quality sleep and less daytime drowsiness than those who don’t exercise (Landry, 2014, para. 36).

See also:

Baron, K. G., Reid, K. J., and Zee, P. C. (2013, August 13). Exercise to improve insomnia:  Exploration of the bidirectional results.  Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.  9(8), 819-24. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.2930.  [Full text]. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23946713

• Background:  Study evaluated the daily relationship between exercise and sleep in a very limited sample of women with insomnia. 

• Methods: Eleven female volunteers performed 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three times weekly, keeping sleep logs and allowing wrist actigraphy monitor their sleep. 

• Results:  Sleep quality improved after 16 weeks of exercising three days a week for 30 minutes a day.   Shorter sleep times during the study meant a shorter exercise time the next day. 

• Conclusion:  The quality and quantity of sleep at night influences the next day’s  exercise rather than exercise influencing sleep.

Breus, Michael J.  (2013, September 6).  Better sleep found by exercising on a regular basis.  Psychology Today.  Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sleep-newzzz/201309/better-sleep-found-exercising-regular-basis-0

Researchers at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine divided subjects into two groups of sedentary adults aged 55 and older—those who moderately exercised from three to four times a week for thirty minutes and those who didn’t exercise. After ten weeks, those who exercised improved their duration and quality of sleep (Breus, 2013, September 6, para. 3).  Although exercise didn’t immediately influence sleep quality or quantity, it had a cumulative effect (Breus, 2013, September 6, para. 6-7).

Reynolds, Getchen. (2013, August 13).  How exercise can help us sleep better.  Well.  New York Times.  Retrieved from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/21/how-exercise-can-help-us-sleep-better/?_r=0

Kelly Glazier Baron and colleagues at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwest discovered that it took four months of regular aerobic exercise for insomnia to improve (Reynolds, 2013, August 13, para. 1 & 8).  At this point in time, they  averaged sleeping for 45 more minutes a night (Reynolds, 2013, August 13, para. 6).

• Food restriction [presumably in the form of intermittent fasting] or loosing weight may reset Circadian rhythms.  The biggest meals of the day should be at breakfast and lunch instead of supper (Landry, 2014, para. 45). 

Exercise, nutrition, and sleep are all related.

See also:

Sepahvandi, E., Jalai, R., and Mirzaei, M., et al. (2014, November 26).  Association between short sleep and body mass index, hypertension among acute coronary syndrome patients in coronary care unit. Global Journal of Health Sciences.  7(3), 134-9. [Abstract only].  doi: 10.5539/gjhs.v7n3p134. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25948448

• Introduction: Patients with coronary disease admitted to a hospital often suffer from sleep disorders, so understanding this relationship may increase their chance of progress.

• Materials and Methods: A questionnaire surveyed 221 patients admitted to a coronary unit and compared their answers to patients assigned to general wards.

• Results:  A “significant association” links short sleep time and a higher BMI while sleep disorders correlate with hypertension.

• Discussion:  Patients who get only five hours of sleep nightly or sleep for more than nine hours or more likely to have hypertension than those who sleep from seven to eight hours.  A “significant relationship” exists between sleep duration, sleep disorders, and an higher BMI.

• Conclusion:  A higher BMI, hypertension, and poor sleep quality are all attributes that many coronary patients share.

Loosing weight may help insomniacs sleep better and longer.

Tan, X., Alen, M., and Cheng, S. M., et al.  (2015, August).  Associations of disordered sleep with body fat distribution, physical activity, and diet among overweight, middle-aged men.  Journal of Sleep Research.  24(4), 414-24.  [Ablstract only].  doi: 10.1111/jsr.12283.  Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25644747

A cross-sectional study of 211 overweight Finnish men aged 30 to 65 associated central obesity, a low level of physical activity, and an unhealthy diet with insomnia or sleep apnea. 

Personal Note:  For years, Mother suffered from severe allergies, so she habitually took either a teaspoon  of liquid Benadryl or a Benadryl tablet before going to bed.  However, once she was diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment, she complained of not being able to get to sleep at night.  Her neurologist suggested that she take a melatonin supplement.   I can't help but think that her habitual use of Benadryl increased her chances of  developing Alzheimer's.

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Children also need to get enough sleep.

Since good sleep habits should begin in childhood, see the following link:

Smith, Evelyn Elaine. (2014, January 18).  Make sure your child has a regular bedtime and enough sleep.  Ways to Improve Your Child’s Grades.  McGregor, Texas, McGinley Memorial Public Library Books and Friends.  Retrieved from http://evelynelainesmith.blogspot.com/2014/01/ten-ways-to-improve-your-childs-grades.html

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The  links furnished on this Web page represent the opinions of their authors, so they complement—not substitute—for a physician’s advice.