To age successfully, you must get a good night's sleep. The greatest human longevity is found among those who average seven to eight hours of sleep a night. Animals deprived of sleep will become ill and even die. The human record for total sleep deprivation is 11 days. Don't try to break this record! Even losing sleep for a few nights can increase your stress hormone levels, interfere with your metabolism and cause memory problems. Lack of sleep can cause a variety of ailments ranging from loss of energy to depression. Chronic sleep deprivation can compromise your immune system and make you more susceptible to infections.

Dr. Sonia Ancoli-Israel, one of the world's experts on sleep, has written an excellent book called "All I want is a good nights sleep"¹. When we were young, it was easy to get that good night's sleep. Back when I was a medical intern, my problem was staying awake. As we age, getting a good night's sleep becomes harder and harder. It is more difficult to fall asleep, you awaken more frequently during the night and you have more difficulty falling back to sleep¹, ² The result: you spend more time in bed and get less sleep. Furthermore, the quality of your sleep declines with aging, you have less of the good slow wave and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep¹, ²

Let's look at some ways for you to improve your sleep. Start by going outside and exercising - daily, if you can. This will do two good things for you. First, it's well established that physical exercise will enhance sleep³, ⁴ Secondly, sleep is improved by obtaining plenty of sunlight⁵ (of course, you will need to use sun screens). I recognize that getting plenty of sunlight is easy here in California and more difficult in northern Sweden in December, but try to get as much bright light during daytime, even if it means staying indoors and using up a little extra wattage.

At night, you need to go to the other extreme. You must minimize the ambient light as well as sound in your sleeping area. Obvious remedies to reduce light include thick, opaque curtains over windows. Less obviously, many of you receive lots of ambient light from the clock radios with bright LCD displays near your beds. To improve your sleep, turn down the light intensity of the LCD display and turn the display away from your eyes.

Reduction of noise may be harder to accomplish. Thick drapes over windows may help. If you can't avoid some noise, you can purchase sound devices that simulate the sounds of surf or running water. It is also critical to avoid stimulants at bedtime. You may inadvertently consume caffeine in the form of chocolate or soft drinks. Alcohol and nicotine in cigarette smoke are both stimulants that should not be consumed at night. Many medications will also interfere with sleep, including beta-blockers, corticosteroids, decongestants, thyroid hormone, bronchodilators and certain antidepressants.

Finally, don't take your worries to bed! There is no better way to become an insomniac than to go over your "to do" list every night before bedtime. Try to think about something mundane, that requires little active thought - bore yourself right to sleep. It works in classrooms; turn off the lights, speak in a boring monotone and you will put lots of students to sleep.

Information provided in this article is for informational purposes and is not meant to substitute for the advice furnished by your own physician or other health care professional. This content should not be utilized for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication. Before taking any health product, you should read carefully all product packaging. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, promptly contact your health care provider. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.