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19 - Sleep

from Part II - Applications: What Can We Do about the Opportunity of Aging?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 September 2022

Robert P. Friedland
Affiliation:
University of Louisville School of Medicine
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Summary

Sleep is incredibly important for the creation and maintenance of memories. It is an active process managed by the brain to allow for bodily rest and repair and maintenance of homeostasis. Good sleep is necessary for life and health and is essential for the encoding and storage or memories made during wakefulness. Poor sleep can interfere with all aspects of cognitive function, particularly attention and memory. Reduced sleep amount and quality has been linked to depression and impaired immune function. The length of sleep is not the only important factor; the quality of sleep is also vital. Animal studies have revealed that sleep deprivation damages gut bacteria and produces hazardous free radicals, called oxidative stress. Cognitive reserve is closely related to sleep. Too many people take sleep for granted or think getting a restful sleep is a luxury, not a necessity. But recent research shows the pattern on neuronal firing is replayed during sleep, which enhances the formation of memories. Older people frequently have sleeping problems that may impact the quality of life. This chapter reviews several things that you can do to improve the quality of your sleep.

Type
Chapter
Information
Unaging
The Four Factors that Impact How You Age
, pp. 222 - 224
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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  • Sleep
  • Robert P. Friedland
  • Book: Unaging
  • Online publication: 15 September 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009083645.020
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  • Sleep
  • Robert P. Friedland
  • Book: Unaging
  • Online publication: 15 September 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009083645.020
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Sleep
  • Robert P. Friedland
  • Book: Unaging
  • Online publication: 15 September 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009083645.020
Available formats
×