According to a family doctor, the advice helps to stay healthy after 40
When you hit your 40s, your body sends you small memories to change things. Hormones shift, energy sink and suddenly the small decisions they make every day is the feeling that they are much more important in the long run.
The tricky piece? Everywhere there is health advice – from new diets to fitness trends – and it can be difficult to know what your effort is really worth.
But GPS says that the secret of healthier aging is not about unusual technology or strict routines. It often depends on simple daily habits that we tend to overlook.
We asked a family doctor which everyday habit is most frequently overlooked in the middle life – and why it is more important than you may realize.
The most overlooked health column
According to Dr. Reem Hasan, Chief Medical Officer at Vista Health and an NHS GP, we should prioritize if we want to make a big difference for our health, that there is enough sleep in good quality.
Studies by Vista Health showed that the average adult receives sleep only 6.5 hours per night – far below the recommended seven to nine.
A solid 7-8 hours of sleep a night is the key to staying healthy with increasing age. Advice experts. (Getty Images)
“Sleep remains quite undervalued, and it is very important if we think about the health of the brain and cognitive protection when we examine the rising rates of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease,” says Dr. Hasan opposite Yahoo UK.
“There is a lot of focus on nutrition and movement [when it comes to health] And the sleep somehow falls off. And it’s not just about sleeping, it is sleep hygiene [having both a bedroom environment and daily routines that promote consistent, uninterrupted sleep] I think I am often really overlooked, and this can change long -term health results. “
Sleep, she explains, is much more than calm. “Essentially, it acts as a mechanism of the brain – it is really restorative. And we know that adults who think less than six hours a night about brain health have a 30% higher risk of dementia than those who have seven to eight hours.”
Read more: If you had told me that I should try sleep hygiene, I would have laughed. But it actually worked for me (Yahoo Life UK, Read 4mines)
What bad sleep does the body
It’s not just the brain that pays the price. The consistently poor sleep has wavy effects over several systems in the body.
“A poor sleep quality can increase your cardiovascular risk by 48% and your risk of stroke by 15%,” says Dr. Hasan. “And that’s massive.”
Metabolic health also makes a hit. “If our sleep is disturbed … this can affect the glucose metabolism. This increases the risk of type -2 diabetes by 28%,” she adds.
Sleep also helps to regulate immune function. “Quality sleep will improve what we call natural killer cells, which is really important for monitoring cancer, and sleep deprivation can also reduce the effectiveness of the medication.”
Poor sleep affects your health in different ways. (Getty Images)
How to improve your sleep hygiene
So what can you do if your sleep is stained? The key, says Dr. Hasan, is to concentrate on routine and simple, sustainable habits instead of revising everything at once.
Hold on a routine
The first step is to support your circadian rhythm – the internal clock of your body. That means going to bed every day and waking up at about the same time. “To fall asleep for hours at the weekend is really not helpful,” explains Dr. Hasan. “You want to get up within an hour after your normal sleep time.
“This strengthens the circadian rhythm without needing more sleep because you have optimized this quality and you can feel the effects within a few weeks.”
Create a quiet surroundings in the bedroom
A cool, dark and quiet bedroom makes it easier to fall – and stay – sleeping. The Sleep Charity recommends Blackout blinds or an eye mask when light is a problem and earplugs when they are sensitive to noise.
Dimiculate or avoid screens before going to bed
Electronic devices emit blue light that suppresses melatonin and makes it more difficult to fall asleep. The NHS recommends switching on TV, smartphones and tablets at least an hour before going to bed.
Avoid serious meals late at night
Eating a big meal near bedtime can make it difficult for your body to relax completely. NHS advice can be put to bed between eating and walking.
Get morning natural light in the morning
The early exposure of daylight helps to reset your internal clock and strengthen your circadian rhythm, according to the Sleep charity.
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