Sleep Is Fundamental for the Eyes, Brain and Overall Health

senior having trouble with sleepGetting enough sleep is crucial to your daily life and long-term health. However, many seniors struggle to get sufficient sleep. They also may have difficulty with the quality of sleep. What do the statistics show? How bad is sleep deprivation for your health? And what are some natural solutions?

Shocking Sleep Statistics

Sleep comes naturally. So why do we see these shocking sleep statistics?

  • About 40% of seniors have difficulty getting a full night’s sleep regularly.
  • At least 7 hours of sleep per night is essential for most adults. Approximately 1 in 3 adults get fewer than 7 hours in a 24-hour period.
  • Each hour of reduced sleep adds a 6% increase in the risk of dying for any reason. 1
  • More than 30% of Americans have poor-quality sleep or not enough sleep. The risk of certain chronic diseases, such as dementia, heart disease, and some cancers, is increased.

Modern life is complex and stressful. Work, relationships, money, a 24-hour news cycle, and constant phone notifications take a toll. Certain medicines have side effects that cause insomnia. Also, looking at screens in the hours before bedtime sends blue light into the eyes. This inhibits the body’s natural release of melatonin, the sleep hormone.

Sleep Cleans Your Brain

Getting enough slumber is essential for proper brain functioning and helping prevent brain disease. Alzheimer’s disease is marked by the build-up of amyloid beta cells in the brain. During sleep, your body:

  • Flushes out waste. The waste products include amyloid beta cells.
  • Helps prevent excess amyloid forming, and
  • Activates the process of cellular waste elimination, called “autophagy.”

Autophagy is a type of housekeeping on the cellular level. The brain uses autophagy to recycle waste products. They include damaged mitochondria and misfolded proteins — which are found in the brains of Alzheimer’s Disease patients.2 3 4

Sleep Deprivation and Vision

Being deprived of sleep can harm your eyes. Driving while tired increases the chances of having a car accident. A serious accident could harm your entire body, including your eyes — or worse! Nearsightedness in young people is linked to lack of sleep. Exhaustion can exacerbate glaucoma. Too much or too little sleep affects diabetic retinopathy. And the glymphatic system, which clears waste around the blood vessels, is activated while sleeping.

Car Accidents

Lack of sleep is a factor in 10% to 20% of global motor vehicle accidents, making it the primary identifiable cause of transportation-related crashes.5 Tired drivers are likely to have impaired visual perception, poor attention, and slow reaction time and other problems meeting the demands of driving.6 7 People who are tired can have reduced peripheral vision, harming visual attention.8 9

Myopia or Nearsightedness

While young people may want to stay up late, cutting sleep time can harm their eyesight. A study looked at teenagers who got fewer than 5 hours of sleep per night. They were 41% more likely to have myopia than their peers who slept more than 9 hours per night.10 Correlation is not causation, but these factors appear to be linked.

Mild nearsightedness can be corrected with glasses or contact lenses. However, people with high myopia have an increased risk of retinal tears and detachments and even myopic macular degeneration.

Sleep in Glaucoma Patients

People with glaucoma may wish to aim for a “sweet spot” for the number of hours of sleep a night. A large study of glaucoma patients aged 40+ found that sleep was correlated with optic nerve damage. Advanced glaucoma damages the optic nerve, permanently harming sight. Patients who got fewer than 3 hours of sleep, or more than 10 hours, were 3 times more likely to have optic nerve damage than patients who slept approximately 7 hours per night.11

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy affects around 4 million Americans, causing harm to the blood vessels in the eyes. This can significantly impair vision. Deviating from the recommended six to eight hours of sleep raises the likelihood of developing moderate diabetic retinopathy. The further you get from the target amount of sleep, the riskier. For more severe, vision-threatening retinopathy, the optimal sleep duration was found to be between six to seven hours.

Men with diabetes may face an increased risk. A study revealed that when they get either excessive or insufficient sleep, their likelihood of developing diabetic retinopathy is higher.12

Glymphatic System, Sleep and Brain Health

The glymphatic system (astroglial-mediated interstitial fluid bulk flow) clears waste through tunnels around blood vessels. Made of astroglial cells, the glymphatic system may help remove amyloid beta cells. This process is essential for preventing Alzheimer’s Disease. During sleep, the glymphatic system is the most active. This system supports the distribution of fats, glucose, growth factors, amino acids, and neuromodulators in the brain.13 14

Research is pointing to poor amyloid beta cell removal as a factor in Alzheimer’s Disease, including early-onset and late-onset.15 16

Circadian Rhythm and Sleep

The circadian rhythm is the sleep/wake cycle. A regular sleep schedule helps the hypothalamus control your circadian. Circadian rhythms assist in regulating the proliferation, metabolism, and death of cells. An out-of-balance Circadian rhythm harms the immune, metabolic, and cardiovascular systems.17 18

Evidence is mounting that circadian rhythms play a part in the development of neurodegenerative diseases.19 20 21 Some medications work best when taken at a particular time of day. When circadian rhythms are disturbed, such as in patients with Alzheimer’s Disease, the benefits of some medications may be hampered. On the other hand, correcting the circadian rhythm and timing medications correctly could help in Alzheimer’s Disease treatments.

Solutions: How To Improve Sleep Naturally

Essential Oils for Brain and Health

Essential and aromatic oils are well-known for supporting memory, cognition, and sleep. They can enhance circulation, decrease inflammation, alleviation of anxiety and depression, and improve digestion. Top essential oils include bergamot, ginger, lemon balm, lavender, frankincense, peppermint, sage, rosemary, and ylang.

Lighting

For better sleep, avoid computer screens, smartphone screens, and bright lights during the last 3 to 4 hours before bedtime. Fluorescent and LED lights have too much blue light, which activates the brain and hinders the natural release of the sleep hormone melatonin. Blue light can also damage your retina and cause cataracts. Fluorescent lights have a flicker rate that can cause dizziness and eyestrain. Favor incandescent lighting in the evening.

Herbs That Help Improve Sleep

Traditional Indian medicine recognizes the Ashwagandha as an anti-anxiety herb. A study found that taking 120 mg of Ashwagandha at night time for 6 weeks resulted in these improvements: 22

  • 72% in restorative sleep,
  • 27% in sleep latency,
  • 15% in time spent awake after sleep onset,
  • 5% in total sleep time, and
  • 5% in sleep efficiency.

In another study, the same dose of Ashwagandha for eight weeks had these benefits:23

  • 67% reduced cortisol levels,
  • 59% reduced anxiety, and
  • 62% reduced stress.

Other herbs that help support sleep include GABA, Mucuna, Pruriens Seed Extract, Saw Palmetto, L-5-HTP, Thyme, Chamomile, Skullcap, Valerian, melatonin, passionflower, Gotu Kola, Lavender flower, jujube date fruit, vitamin B6, black currant seed oil. Talk to your healthcare provider before starting any new supplements.

Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone that your body produces naturally. Your levels of melatonin rise in the evening, giving you a feeling of quiet wakefulness that helps with sleep. Levels of melatonin get lower as you age. Therefore, supplements are popular. But be careful — more is not necessarily better. One to three milligrams, 2 hours before bedtime, should help if you have difficulty sleeping.

Meditation

The Transcendental Meditation® (TM®) technique requires neither concentration nor contemplation. Peer-reviewed scientific research has found positive, measurable outcomes, including reduced anxiety, addiction, hypertension, sleeplessness, and migraines.

Lifestyle Tips for Better Sleep

Avoid using electronic devices in your bedroom, such as smartphones, televisions, and computers.

When it is time for sleep, keep the bedroom quiet, dark, and cool. Approximately 65 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal. Turn off or tape over all small LED lights, whether they are blinking or steady. Shut your cell phone completely off to prevent it from lighting up, making sounds, or vibrating.

Develop a nightly routine to help you unwind. For example, taking a shower or footbath at the same time every evening signals to your brain that it is time to relax.

Exercise every day, but not close to bedtime.

Suggested Supplements

Dr. Grossman’s REM Sleep Support (sublingual) Formula (with melatonin)

Dr. Grossman’s REM Sleep Support (sublingual) Formula (with melatonin)

Black Currant Seed Oil 500 mg 100 caps

Advanced Eye & Vision Support Formula (whole food) 60 vcaps – our foundation eye formula which is a whole food, organic, GMO-free formulation.

Dr. Grossman’s Meso Plus Retinal Support and Computer Eye Strain Formula with Astaxanthin 90 vcaps – with lutein, zeaxanthin, meso-zeaxanthin and astaxanthin.

Dr. Grossman’s Advanced Eye and Dr. G’s Whole Food Superfood Multi1 20 Vcap Combo – 2 months supply

OmegaGenics™ EPA-DHA 720 Lemon 120 gels – also available if 240 gelcaps or liquid.

Recommended Books

Natural Eye Care: Your Guide to Healthy Vision and Healing

Natural Brain Support: Your Guide to Preventing and Treating Alzheimer’s, Dementia, and Other Related Diseases Naturally

Natural Parkinson’s Support: Your Guide to Preventing and Managing Parkinson’s

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