More melatonin, or How sleep disturbances potentiate aging processes
Many factors have a negative impact on the chronobiological rhythms of human life, leading to sleep disorders and deterioration of the functioning of the entire body.
Chronic reduction in sleep time is a distinctive feature of life in wartime. And even without military operations, the modern rhythm of life has led to a decrease in the average duration of sleep - instead of the norm of 9 hours, the norm in developed countries is now 7.5.
Sleep rhythms
It is known that changes in sleep are part of the aging of the body. At the same time, there is data that the need for sleep remains unchanged throughout life and is 8 hours per day. However, the ability to sleep well decreases with age.
Sleep is a sequence of cycles that change 3-5 times a night. The first phase of sleep is falling asleep. At this time, a person tunes in to sleep, closes his eyes, relaxes his body. Then comes the stage of light sleep, when he plunges into sleep, which gradually turns into drowsiness. During this period, there is a decrease in heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature. The last two stages normally last 40 minutes, but in old age this period extends to one to one and a half hours.
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