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SLEEP IN THE TIME OF CORONA

April 18, 2020 3 Comments

How are you sleeping in these days of Covid? A straw poll  on a recent Zoom call with friends revealed everything from ‘sleeping like a baby’ to ‘I’m up at 3am every night sanitising door handles’. Much to my surprise, I’m sleeping better than I’ve done for years, with less traffic noise and work-related stress to keep me awake.

Quality sleep is vital both to the ageing body and to our immune systems. Don’t ever think that our bodies ‘shut down’ when we go to sleep. The reality is that they’re as busy as ever, healing and repairing while we’re in the land of nod, we’re just not aware of it.

SLEEP AND VIRUSES

Research published last year revealed that a good night’s sleep can boost the effectiveness of specialised immune cells called T cells. These cells go into battle to protect us when a potentially harmful foreign body, like a virus, enters our system. When the going gets tough, T cells call in reinforcements – a sort of Panzer division of immune cells – known as  integrins, to help out. Integrins help T cells attach to and tackle their targets. Scientists found that participants in the study who had slept well had higher levels of integrin activation that those who’d stayed awake.

SPRING CLEANING OUR BRAINS WHEN WE SLEEP

When we’re asleep our immune systems can also get to work ‘spring cleaning’ our brains. In deep, or slow-wave, sleep the glymphatic system clears out toxins which accumulate during the day. Recent research shows that microglia – immune cells which act as brooms to sweep accumulated toxins out of the brain – work much more effectively while we sleep. This makes the sleeping brain better at removing the beta amyloid implicated in Alzheimer’s. As we enter deep sleep, the brain physically alters, with cells shrinking up to 60% to allow cleaning between them – the neurological equivalent of shifting the furniture around when you give the house a spring clean! Isn’t that extraordinary? I find it mind-blowing.

With that deep cleaning process in mind, it’s unsurprising that poor sleep quality has been linked to a build-up of amyloid beta plaques. Research on people in their 70s found that those who reported sleeping less had increased build-up of beta amyloid. And when participants in one study were allowed to sleep, but disturbed enough to prevent them entering deep sleep, there was more amyloid in their systems after just one night. To make things worse, amyloid plaques build up in the area of the brain that triggers deep sleep, creating a cascade effect: the poorer our sleep quality, the harder it is for the body to flush out amyloid, the more amyloid in the brain, the less able we are to sleep.

HOW ARE YOU SLEEPING?

The lighter evenings mean that we’ve a longer window in which to get our allotted daily exercise. Do read Annabel’s blog about how evening exercise can increase deep sleep to help give your brain a spring clean, and boost your T-cells. If you’re struggling to sleep, I wrote a post on what worked – and what didn’t – when I decided to spend a lot of money on improving my sleep quality.  (Clue: the best things in life are often free) I’ve listed a few other posts on sleep, and immunity, below and let us know how you’re sleeping in the comments.

Susan

Enhancing memory and an ice cream to help you sleep

Sleep: the key to a  good memory, tips from an expert

How to get a good night’s sleep

Can a kiwi fruit help you sleep?

Is poor sleep the new killer? Diet can help 

 

Photo: Dominic Morel

  • Conditions: Insomnia
« BOOSTING IMMUNITY IN TIMES OF UNCERTAINTY
YOUR LOCKDOWN BRAIN ON READING, RED WINE AND VITAMIN D »

Comments

  1. Antonia says

    April 18, 2020 at 5:16 pm

    I’ve never seen such a thorough analysis of what occurs during sleep. Thanks for providing this.
    I generally sleep well. But at the start of the Coronavirus pandemic I was watching too much late night news and this found its way into overly vivid dreams and disturbed sleeping. Now no late night news or grim statistics. Reading fashion magazines after watching arts documentaries works for me. And getting into a warm bed.

    Reply
    • Susan Saunders says

      April 18, 2020 at 5:35 pm

      Thanks so much Antonia! Yes, late night news is the worst thing for sleep, especially at the moment.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. New outfits and an attempt at mask making | Frugal fashion shopper says:
    April 22, 2020 at 7:25 am

    […] I’d say. Do have a look at The Age-Well Project, which has an excellent post with links on Sleep In The Time of Corona. And I haven’t tried a kiwi-fruit in the evening. Has […]

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Welcome to The Age-Well Project

Welcome to The Age-Well Project!
Here you’ll find easy changes for a longer, happier life. We’ve immersed ourselves in the science of longevity and distilled the research to make it work in our everyday lives. You can change the way you age: here’s how.

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WHY ‘INFLAMM-AGEING’ COULD START IN THE GUT AND HARISSA-ROASTED VEGETABLE SALAD

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What do you want to achieve for your bones?’ T What do you want to achieve for your bones?’ 

This interesting question came from Rebekah Rotstein, who has worked with the Royal Osteoporosis Society and is founder of movement system Buff Bones @gotbuffbones when Susan interviewed her for The Power Decade. 

We thought the answer was that we wanted them to be dense, because that would protect them in the years ahead. Rebekah invited us to view this another way, ‘Your goal is not just to have high bone density,’ she explained. ‘Your goal is to not fracture and to live a full, independent life. You do this by strengthening your bones and body. But you also need to maintain and improve your balance and responsiveness to avoid falls because falls lead to fractures.’

We’re big fans of the ‘brushing your teeth standing on one leg’ trick to add extra age-well benefits to this most regular of tasks by improving balance. When we do it, we can feel movement – and a bit of a wobble – in our feet. Rebekah explains that this movement is also a form of calibration, helping us maintain balance. She urges us to try this barefoot because, as we age, we lose dexterity in our feet: we want to be able to feel the messages they’re sending us.

There’s more on better bone health on the blog - link in bio

#longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #womenover50 #healthspan #womenover60 #postmenopause #postmenopausalhealth #bonehealth #osteoporosis #osteopenia #balance #buffbones
Beans for breakfast?! Yes please. On a recent trip Beans for breakfast?! Yes please. On a recent trip to Jordan, Annabel started her day with foul, made from fava beans. 

The Jordanians mash the cooked beans and serve them warm from a swan-necked vessel using a Harry Potter-ish long-handled ladle.  The beans are then drizzled and scattered with various spices, sauces and olive oil. 

Full of protein and fibre, it’s a great way to start the day. The (super-simple) recipe is on the blog, link in bio 

#longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #womenover50 #healthspan #womenover60 #postmenopause #postmenopausalhealth #breakfast #breakfastrecipes #favabeans
Grab some GABA! This neurotransmitter is linked to Grab some GABA! This neurotransmitter is linked to better sleep and mood - but needs progesterone to produce it. This is why post-menopausal women are more likely to experience insomnia and anxiety. 

But there are actions we can take to produce more GABA naturally. Save this post for future reference and check out our GABA blog post - link in bio

And save this for future reference 😊

#longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #womenover50 #healthspan #womenover60 #postmenopause #postmenopausalhealth #GABA #neurotransmitter
A three-page interview of Annabel in today’s @ob A three-page interview of Annabel in today’s @obsmagazine extolling the benefits of walking, and of being outdoors. Just in case you’ve had your fill of the coronation… ´Walking is freedom, an escape for the mind and the body.’ 

Hear hear!
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