Hormonal
Impaired nighttime sleep (increased wake time) in healthy older adults is associated with elevated 24-hour plasma levels of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and cortisol, with the association being significantly stronger in older adults than in young adults.
If you are an older adult experiencing fragmented sleep, your body may be producing higher levels of stress hormones (cortisol) and inflammatory markers (IL-6) during the day, which in turn worsen your sleep. This creates a cycle. Managing stress and inflammation may help break this cycle, rather than accepting poor sleep as an unavoidable consequence of aging.
The mean 24-h IL-6 and cortisol levels were significantly higher in old than young adults (P < 0.05). In both groups, IL-6 and cortisol plasma concentrations were positively associated with total wake time, with a stronger association of IL-6 and cortisol with total wake time in the older individuals (P < 0.05); their combined effect was additive.
Why this rating
Controlled laboratory study with objective polysomnography and serial blood sampling, though limited to healthy volunteers without comorbidities.
Source
Impaired Nighttime Sleep in Healthy Old<i>Versus</i>Young Adults Is Associated with Elevated Plasma Interleukin-6 and Cortisol Levels: Physiologic and Therapeutic Implications
Alexandros N. Vgontzas et al. · The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism · 2003
DOI 10.1210/jc.2002-021176
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