Page 158 - Mind Games The Aging Brain and How to Keep it Healthy

142 • Chapter 5

Sleep Patterns
As you age, you may lay awake longer before you drift off
to sleep. If you get up at the same time every day, you begin
to experience an accumulating “sleep debt.” You feel more
tired as the days go by. A decrease in overall sleep begins at
age 30 for many men and 50 for many women. By the age of
65, most seniors rarely experience an unbroken night’s
sleep. Research indicates that people between the ages of 73
and 92 have an average of 21 awakenings during a given
night. Men experience these awakenings more often than
women until about age 70, when both men and women ex-
hibit the same patterns of wakefulness. Remember that
7
sleep is essential to long-term memory formation as well as
an overall sense of well-being. You must have complete cy-
cles of sleep. Often, forgetfulness may be due to a lack of
sleep instead of a decline in cognitive abilities. Chapter 6 de-
tails more information about the effects of sleep on learning.

Lack of sleep affects your intelligence, memory, and ability
to concentrate.

There are many sleep strategies to help meet the daily de-
mands on your memory. You may want to talk to your physi-
cian about the use of a sleeping aid such as melatonin or
sleeping pills. Please be aware that supplements such as mela-
tonin are controversial, and you should check with your phy-
sician before you begin to take over-the-counter remedies
such as these. Exercising your body during the day not only
strengthens you physically but also expends energy and makes
you ready for sleep. You also might try relaxation exercises,
yoga, or the good old glass of warm milk prior to retiring.

Reaction and Retrieval Time
Reaction time is the amount of time it takes for an individual
to respond to a stimulus. Average reaction time increases
with increasing age for seniors as a group. However, some
individuals 70 years old or older may react more quickly
than an individual 30-year-old. Your performance depends