When we think of how old we are and we begin to feel the onset of muscle aches and pains at the same time start to have symptoms of common old age health conditions, we know that we are nearing that time when we would call ourselves senior citizens.

And yes growing old and nearing the age of 60 brings about changes aplenty such as lifestyle and work that creates a parallel effect to our mental, physical and emotional state.

One of the most common physiological changes that affect the senior citizens is their ability to sleep at night.  Most people who are at this age says that they only sleep 5 hours at night and couldn’t have more than that.  The basic reasons for this may be any of the following:

• Minor health ailments brought on by old age.
• Serious Health ailments brought on by old age and lifestyle such as hypertension and high blood.
• Bad leg conditions that comes with old age such as arthritis
• Chemical and hormonal changes that affect the function of some glands and organs in the body.
• Inability to control bladder discharge which prevents a continuous sleep throughout the night.

For the past decade, healthy living has been the primary goal of most people who have experienced stress related problems.  And one of the ways in achieving this healthy lifestyle is to get the required 7 – 9 hours of sleeping time every night.  This should be a long term habit to be able to obtain the life long benefits of sleep.

Now, what happens when we lack the ideal hours recommended by most health experts and medical practitioners?

Research undertaken by scientists has shown to us that we are at putting ourselves at a high risk of acquiring health problems when we deprived ourselves with enough sleep.  Some of these health problems include hypertension, high blood pressure and even becoming prone to influenza.  Lack of sleep also contributes to our body systems’ inability to produce a faster metabolic rate, hence the chances of gaining weight leading to obesity is higher.  Moreover, if we continue with having less than the recommended hours of sleep we increase the possibility of impairing our memory, decreasing our attentiveness and alertness as well as messing up our efficiency in performing our daytime activities.  As a result our work output and performance is less than the normal rendering us incompetent and ineffective.

Beyond the fatigued and worn out body, depriving yourself with adequate sleep can seriously compromise y our over all wellness.  Hence, get the much needed sleep and avoid any unnecessary activities that prevent you from obtaining adequate sleep.

Advancement in technology has brought into man’s daily existence the availability of internet, cable television and all-night recreations that have resulted in quality sleep going haywire.  The norm of the new social order presents a trend in less sleep and more waking hours simply because there are so many things to do but not enough time to do it.  What happens here is getting into the habit of having more hours of wakefulness and very little sleeping time without fully understanding that there are health consequences and risk factors involved.

Though scientists are unable to provide an explanation beyond reasonable doubt why we need sleep, but it just seems that once we deprived ourselves of adequate sleeping time everything in our bodily systems goes out of sync.  And this has been noted especially in the relationship of our brain organ and the other body functions.   This finding has shown that there is a relationship with an efficient work output when our brain is able to restore its full functions during sleep.  Another reason why we need sleep is to prevent the onset of other serious health problems such as heart diseases, diabetes and even high blood pressure.

While the number of hours of sleep varies from one person to another, but what is essential is that we get an average of 7-9 hours of sleep on a regular basis to ensure a healthy and longer life.

In our everyday lives, we are always confronted by nerve-racking situations that put our mental and physical self in disarray.  Whether it’s a project deadline in school or a work overload, often times these common scenarios prevents us from getting that much needed rest and sleep.

If this happens quite often then we place our selves at a high risk for ill health or become burned out.  But if we are able to create an effective daily time table that allows us to get that quality sleep then we increase our physical, mental and emotional wellness promoting efficiency and yield more quality work output.

So what to do to manage your sleep:

• Set your bedtime at the earliest time possible for you to go to bed so you manage to get that 7-8 hours sleeping time on a regular basis.
• Make sure that you leave your work at the office.  Bringing home some things from the workplace can cause havoc in your sleeping time.
• Reduce your consumption of caffeinated drinks that acts as stimulants rather than as a relaxant.
• Ensure that your bedroom is conducive to sleeping in, otherwise you will find yourself tossing and turning if it’s uncomfortable.
• Find a way to relax your mind, read a light book, do breathing exercises or write down your worries and anxieties in a diary.  In this manner your mind becomes lethargic and allows you to fall asleep very quickly.

As we begin to grow old and feel the symptoms of old age we get to be affected by the thought that we are waiting for that final day and that thought begins to worry us and we even let go and do nothing to help ease the various discomforts that old age brings us.

One of the most common symptoms of old age is the change in sleeping habits wherein before the onset of old age, we can manage an average of 7-8 hours sleep but now as we get past middle age, sleeping time becomes lesser usually averaging 5 hours every night.

Getting a goodnight sleep will allow us to maintain good health and remain mentally, emotionally and physically strong.  To ensure that we get that quality sleep needed as we grow old, try to do the following:

• Do away with any stressful activities that makes us feel worried and anxious most of the time
• Find the time to relax during the day.
• If we want to do something to keep ourselves occupied try gardening which does not require so much effort on our part.
• Avoid eating a heavy meal before going to sleep.  As we go through many physiological changes, eating small portions of food several times a day can do wonders for us to be able to maintain our good health.
• Feel good about ourselves and think positive thoughts.