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Symptoms - Does the Body Clock Age Too?
If you're waking up more often in the middle of the night, still feeling tired or sluggish when you wake up in the morning, or haven't had what you'd call a "deep sleep" recently, it's possible that your sleep hormone, melatonin, is decreasing.
Causes - Melatonin: The Sleep-Inducing Hormone
Our sleep is regulated by the sleep-inducing hormone, melatonin. Melatonin is produced during the day and secreted as it gets darker in the evening. When melatonin is secreted, our pulse, body temperature, and blood pressure decrease, making us sleepy. Melatonin skillfully adjusts the sleep-wake cycle to allow the brain and body to rest.
However, melatonin secretion begins to decrease, peaking around age 10. The average sleep time, which is about 10 hours at age 10, decreases to less than 6 hours for those over 50, and it's said to become more difficult to achieve the deep sleep known as "restful sleep." If you've started waking up earlier recently or waking up multiple times in the middle of the night, it might be that your melatonin secretion has decreased, preventing you from falling into a deep sleep.
If Left Untreated...
No problem if left untreated!
If the decrease in melatonin is within a normal range, it's unlikely to have a significant impact on your health, so leaving it untreated isn't a problem. However, if your brain isn't getting enough rest due to chronic sleep deprivation and you constantly feel fatigued, it's a good idea to take steps to improve your sleep.
Solutions - Bathe in the Morning Sun
If you have trouble falling asleep at night, try to expose yourself to sunlight as soon as you wake up in the morning. When the human body is exposed to strong light like sunlight, melatonin production begins, preparing the body for sleep at night. After getting out of bed in the morning, first open the curtains and look outside. If you make this a habit, a "deep sleep" like you had as a child might not be just a dream.
Bathing 90 Minutes Before Bed is Effective!
Furthermore, a tip for achieving deeper sleep is to warm your body 90 minutes before bedtime. Our body temperature drops when we fall asleep. The faster our body temperature drops from a warm state, the faster we can fall asleep and enter a deep sleep.
The best way to raise your core body temperature is with a warm bath. Soak in lukewarm water between 38 and 41 degrees Celsius. Adding 1-2 drops of lavender essential oil to the bathtub at this time can be even more effective. However, be careful as water hotter than 42 degrees Celsius can have the opposite effect and wake you up.
