By age 45, most men have almost entirely lost the ability to generate significant amounts of deep sleep, which is the period when growth hormone secretion mainly takes place, said researchers at the University of Chicago.
"These changes in sleep quality provide an early biological marker of aging in men," said Eve Van Cauter, a professor of medicine and director of the study.
On top of that, there is further deterioration of sleep that begins in the 50s with men getting less sleep overall and experiencing more and longer awakenings during the night.
Van Cauter said the research findings indicate that growth hormone replacement therapy, which has mainly been tested on elderly men and women, might better be targeted at individuals in early middle age based on logic alone. "We begin estrogen replacement as soon as women enter menopause, not 20 years later. If men go through 'somatopause' a loss of growth hormone between 25 and 45, why should we wait another 20 years to initiate treatment?''
Although total sleep remained constant as young men moved into mid-life, the proportion of slow wave or deep sleep decreased from nearly 20 percent of a normal night's sleep among those under 25 to less than 5 percent for those over 35. Growth hormone secretion also declined by about 75 percent during that decade. After age 50, a night's sleep declines by about a half-hour every decade. And REM (rapid eye movement), or dream, sleep declines to about half the levels experienced by young adults. This loss of dream time appears to be associated with increased levels of the stress-related hormone cortisol.
Anti-Aging Perspective:
This study continues to demonstrate the importance of getting a good night's rest and how it affects our hormonal system. Preliminary studies hint that boosting deep sleep can also increase hormone secretion. Sleep deprived individuals age faster. It's that simple. Melatonin sublingually every night will help with the quality of sleep as will Enjuvenate®, a product from Unicity that is offered at Ultimate Living Medical Clinic. In addition, the nightly and morning use of sublingual Secretropin® to significantly increase natural GH levels to clinically relevant values will help induce a restful sleep and aid with repair of the body over time. This is available without a prescription from Dr. Work but serum levels of Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) must be checked before and after starting to assess response, so Secretropin® is not available for purchase except through a physician who is knowledgeable about IGF-1.
Cortisol, a "fight or flight" hormone that heightens attention and alertness, normally peaks in the morning and declines into the afternoon and evening. But those with decreased REM sleep will have levels of the hormone remain relatively high well into the night. This could make sleep more fitful and promote awakenings, the researchers said. It also could cause memory deficit, insulin resistance and even a decline of the immune system seen in old age. These are all the effects of cortisol, the one hormone that increases with age and that which is considered "bad" for aging. However, it is a “dual-edged sword.” Lack of cortisol is even worse for aging that can and will dramatically shorten your life span unless it is corrected. This cortisol insufficiency is frequently seen with chronic pain as well as chronic disease that have caused undue and unrelenting stress on the individual for years. Testing is done with a 24 hour urine and the brochure on cortisol insufficiency should be downloaded for more in-depth information. One way to correct a cortisol imbalance is through the use of a Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) device for sleep. Dr. Work uses and recommends EarthPulse and this can be found at www.earthpulsetechnologies.com. He has used one for years and has found it to be immensely helpful for himself and for all of his patients who have bought one and use it routinely.