During a recent beach vacation, I woke up early to sit on the terrace with tea and watch the sun rise over the Caribbean Sea. You know how, in the tropics, there seem to be hens and roosters just moseying all over the place? No fences, no pens, no nothing—even at the resorts. So, the sky lightens and all the roosters on the island start crowing at once. Must have been hundreds of them. It felt kind of like when a huge clap of thunder in the big city sets off multiple car alarms. But much more enjoyable.
Joy comes in the morning when you wake up at the desired hour and greet the sun. But a few months ago, I seemed to wake up at 3 am for several days in a row. I’d get excited about beating the alarm until I looked at the time. This was before daylight savings, so there was no telltale shaft of light behind the window shades to hint at how long I’d slept—or hadn’t.
Age is but a number. But when it comes to slumber, you may have noticed—I have—that getting older is doing a number on what shuteye researchers call ‘sleep architecture.’
Age is but a number. But when it comes to slumber, you may have noticed—I have—that getting older is doing a number on what shuteye researchers call “sleep architecture.” The term refers to how we cycle through the stages of sleep. Up to third of older adults struggle with insomnia, putting them at greater risk for depression, anxiety, obesity and other illnesses.
If your sleep architecture could use some renovations, you’re in good company.
“As we get older, our sleep becomes more shallow and broken up, and the amount of deep sleep decreases somewhat,” Michael Grandner, director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine Tucson, told aarp.org writer Kimberly Goad. “This may be due to more sleep disrupters and medical issues interfering with our ability to get deep sleep, or it may just be a natural part of aging. We also tend to get more interruptions to sleep, for longer periods of time, as we get older.”
I came upon a Japanese study in the journal Sleep Medicine that hints at what could help with wee-hour wakefulness: Getting in a good sweat early in the day, after our normal morning wake time.
Why is this happening? Is it hormones?
If you are in perimenopause or menopause, this may be the case. According to Healthline,
People with hormonal insomnia may experience:
- difficulty falling asleep after going to bed
- waking up in the middle of the night and being unable to fall back asleep
- waking up earlier in the morning than planned
- difficulty maintaining a regular sleep schedule
- fatigue, irritability, or difficulty concentrating due to lack of sleep
To sleep more, try sweating more—especially outdoors in the morning.
While I was sharing with you recently about the benefits of morning exercise, and an easy way I recently found to keep a streak going, I came across a Japanese study in the journal Sleep Medicine. It hints at what could help with wee-hour wakefulness: Getting a good sweat in early in the day, after our normal morning wake time.
That study was published in 2017, but last year, in a meta-analysis of multiple studies published in the journal Cureus, sleep scientists concluded that a “Regular physical activity can lead to improved sleep quality, reduced sleep latency, and better overall sleep quality… Regular moderate-intensity physical activities are the most effective, while high-intensity physical activities, especially in the evening or close to bedtime, may lead to difficulty sleeping.”
High-intensity physical activities, especially in the evening or close to bedtime, may lead to difficulty sleeping.
According to sleepfoundation.org, “Aerobic exercise in the morning or afternoon stimulates earlier melatonin release and shifts the circadian rhythm forward. For people who exercise outdoors, morning exercise may have the added benefit of exposure to sunlight. This helps stabilize circadian rhythms and makes it easier to fall asleep early.”
Here are additional tips from aarp.org:
- Stick with a regular bedtime
- Avoid taking long naps
- Turn off tech well before bedtime
- If you just can’t return to sleep, try reading, drawing, knitting or another calming activity.
In the past, when I dealt with sleep disturbances, I tried massage and got great results. Now, the morning exercise really seems to be helping—and it doesn’t cost a hundred-plus bucks an hour. Other sisters say acupuncture, aromatherapy and even orgasm can be helpful.
What do you do when you can’t sleep? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
