Getting enough hours of sleep each night isn't the only thing you should be focused on as you age. Getting deep sleep is equally as important for your overall well-being and health.
According to Healthline, around 25% of each night's sleep should be devoted to REM, or rapid eye movement, sleep.
Sleeping deeply doesn't just affect how well-rested you feel in the morning. Your REM sleep cycles have a major impact on your health as you age, including learning and memory. REM sleep becomes even more important for seniors since their quality of sleep typically deteriorates, along with their cognitive function.
This article will talk about the role REM sleep plays in memory, learning, and overall cognitive function for seniors. We'll also discuss some tips on how to get quality sleep and feel well-rested each day.
We go between non-REM and REM sleep cycles as we sleep. As we mentioned, REM means rapid eye movement. Your brain is active during this time and your eyes rapidly move in different directions.
Your brain activity during REM sleep is like how active it is when you're awake. You will also experience most of your dreams during this time.
Non-REM sleep is the first stage that you encounter right after you fall asleep. After that, your body will go through a short period of REM sleep. The cycle will start over and continue throughout the night, with the REM sleep periods getting longer.
Some physical indications that you're in REM sleep include:
REM sleep cycles are important for many reasons. The most important thing that occurs is your brain processing emotional experiences. It also transforms short-term memories into long-term ones.
Not getting enough sleep makes it hard to remember or learn anything. Memory and learning are typically broken down into three categories:
Acquisition and recall typically occur when a person is awake. Memory consolidation takes place during the REM sleep cycle. This refers to the process of reinforcing the different brain connectors that produce memories.
Our brains are in the best state possible while we're asleep to combine memories and transfer them into our long-term memory storage. This is because our brains don't have to worry about processing external information while it's also trying to consolidate memories.
Our percentage of REM sleep cycles usually stays consistent throughout our adult years. However, according to Science Direct, it may start to decrease after the age of 60. Other changes in the elderly's sleep patterns may include:
These sleep problems coupled with reduced REM sleep cycles can result in various problems, including the following:
Decreased REM sleep cycles aren't always associated with age. There are several REM sleep disorders that seniors can suffer from that can affect their sleep quality.
RBD is a disorder that causes the affected individual to act out their dreams while in a REM sleep cycle. These behaviors can cover a wide range of activities, such as:
This disorder can cause the person to act out sometimes in violent ways. One thing to keep in mind is that a person with RBD is not aggressive while awake.
Insomnia can happen at any stage in life but becomes more common for the elderly. Some negative side effects of this disorder include:
Seniors can experience insomnia due to natural changes in their body's circadian rhythm. Some medical conditions and medications can also affect your sleep quality.
It's never too late to take charge of your sleep cycles to improve your learning and memory. There are many tips and tricks you can employ to ensure you get a good night's sleep each night.
Improving sleep quality in individuals with cognitive impairments can be achieved by:
Certain lights and other external factors can decrease your body's production of melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone that makes you feel sleepy. A few steps you can take to improve your room and sleep environment include:
It can be challenging to keep your room quiet, especially if you live in a senior living community. Investing in a white noise machine is an easy way to tune out sounds that disrupt your sleep.
You should aim to go to bed and get up at the same time each day, even during the weekend. We recommend going to bed earlier than you may want to, especially if your body is telling you that it's time to rest. You can also develop a soothing bedtime routine to ensure you feel relaxed, such as:
There are numerous benefits you can experience by improving your REM sleep cycle besides improved learning and memory. It's important to take the time to look into what's disrupting your sleep so you can find the best ways to improve it. That's why finding a relaxing community to live in that prioritizes rest is key.
At Preston Greens Senior Living, our goal is to ensure our residents feel rested each day. That's why we work with our clients to help improve their sleep quality, connecting them with sleep specialists if needed. Reach out to our office to schedule a tour of our senior living community in Lexington.