There’s nothing more frustrating than not getting a good night’s sleep. Waking in the morning only to feel more tired than the night before doesn’t set you up for a successful day, and we at Lifeforce know better than most just how important adequate sleep is for peak performance — at any age.
That’s why we created Peak Rest™, so you can rest, recharge, and reset your sleep schedule with ease.
Why Is Sleep So Important?
We all know how crabby we can get without enough sleep, but just why is it so important?
When scientists discovered that electrical activity was present in the brain as we slept, they discovered several different kinds of sleep, which are our different sleep stages.
According to sleep scientists, there are four different cycles of sleep that we alternate through each night:
Stage 1:This is the transition from wakefulness to sleep. Stage 1 is a short period and is where our heart rates, breathing, and eye movements begin to slow to prepare for the other stages.
Stage 2: This is another light period of sleep that’s designed as a transition from Stage 2 to 3. Your brain wave activity slows significantly here. You spend the most time here than in any other sleep cycle.
Stage 3: This is the cycle you need to feel the most refreshed in the morning. This is where our breathing and heart rates are lowest, and it may be difficult to wake someone when they’re in this stage.
Stage 4: This is rapid eye movement, or REM, sleep. This happens about 80 minutes after you’ve initially fallen asleep. Your eyes move rapidly back and forth behind closed eyelids, and this is where most of your dreaming happens.
Our circadian rhythm controls our timing when we sleep and keeps it functioning — it’s what tells us when we’re “sleepy,” and a lot of people refer to it as our internal clock. It works in tandem with our sleep-wake homeostasis, which signals to our body that it’s time to sleep at a specific time and regulates our sleep intensity (or how much time we spend in each sleep cycle).
When these two systems are working properly, we feel rested upon waking.
Sleeping is a complex bodily function, and scientists are still studying how these cycles and systems impact our brains — what we know for sure is that getting adequate sleep is important for our brain health, cognitive function, and really our overall health.
While there’s still plenty to discover, it’s clear that getting a proper amount of sleep is imperative so that we can tackle whatever the day has in store.
Do Sleeping Patterns Change With Age?
As you age, you may start to notice a few changes in your sleeping patterns, such as:
Sleeping fewer hours
Taking longer to fall asleep
Experiencing less deep sleep
Waking up more often during the night
Spending less time in the different sleep cycles
As with most things, our sleeping patterns change as we get older, making it harder to get a good night’s rest. When it’s harder to fall (and stay) asleep, that can leave us feeling groggy and irritable the next day and eager for answers.
The good news is that there are answers and plenty of solutions for improving your sleep and achieving good sleep habits.
Our sleep patterns change due to the aging process’s effect on our internal clock, which is controlled by the hypothalamus. It’s composed of about 20,000 cells that make up the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The SCN controls our melatonin production, which our brain releases to make us fall asleep.
As we age, the SCN does, too, causing it to disrupt our circadian rhythms, making it harder for our bodies to understand the signals to fall asleep. Practicing good sleep hygiene, setting a bedtime routine, and avoiding blue light before bed helps you fall asleep faster and can help your sleep habits.
But sometimes, your body needs extra support. That’s where Lifeforce comes in.
At Lifeforce, our mission is to improve the quality of midlife, and help you get back to a normal, healthy sleep cycle is no exception. Our premium, clinician-grade nutraceuticals are designed specifically to fit you and your needs, no matter what they may be.
What Is Lifeforce Peak Rest™?
Lifeforce Peak Rest™ is a sophisticated treatment that’s designed to relieve stress, restore your circadian rhythm, and get you back on a sleep cycle that actually leaves you feeling refreshed in the morning. With our state-of-the-art blend of CLOCK®, Venetron®, Zylaria™, and lavender extract, Peak Rest™ works at the deepest levels of brain recovery to support full-body relaxation, ensuring you wake up feeling ready to take on the day ahead.
What Can Peak Rest™ Do?
Peak Rest™ works to support high quality sleep that restores your body without causing drowsiness in the morning. By increasing your levels of BDNF, Peak Rest™ supports a healthy mood and healthy brain cells, allowing you to perform.
Peak Rest™ also works to support your levels of irisin, which is a protein that works hard to promote healthy muscles, optimal strength, and ideal metabolism. If you are in need of a good night’s sleep that allows you to wake up and get moving, Peak Rest™ can help.
Reduce Stress
Not only does Peak Rest™ support better sleep, but it also helps relieve stress. It’s been proven that getting an adequate amount of sleep is one of the best stress relievers, and Peak Rest™ helps you achieve this by encouraging relaxation and peace of mind.
When we get enough sleep, it allows our bodies to repair themselves from the general stress of daily life, meaning that an inadequate amount of sleep stops this from happening. Peak Rest™ encourages rejuvenating sleep and offers a more natural, healthy response to stress by allowing you to get more shut-eye — especially when used with other relaxation techniques that improve sleep hygiene such as engaging in peaceful activities to help your mind wind down.
Circadian Rhythm Support
One of the most critical parts of healthy sleep patterns is supporting a healthy circadian rhythm, which syncs with the hours of sunlight. When you use Peak Rest™, your circadian rhythms are realigned and restored to ensure consistent sleep-wake cycles.
By supporting the rhythms that exist in your entire body, you’ll start to notice just how interconnected these vital, 24-hour cycles are to your body’s functionality.
You can also support your body’s internal clock by getting appropriate amounts of light exposure, avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bed, putting away electronic devices at bedtime, and closing the blinds.
Get Better Sleep
By relieving stress and restoring your circadian rhythms, you’ll find that you get a better night’s sleep in no time.
With Peak Rest™, not only will you have an easier time falling asleep, you’ll spend more time in deep sleep. And the more time you spend in these stages, the more restorative your sleep will be.
Even better: Pair Peak Rest™ with strategies like meditation, regular exercise, and the right mattress and pillows for the kind of sleep you deserve. Relaxation techniques like these are science-backed and have been shown to support a better night of sleep. A holistic approach to sleep can help you get the best results.
Recharge With Lifeforce
Midlife is a time that comes with many changes that can impact your health and performance. Good news is, we’re here to help you navigate with personalized performance plans designed to support your health, including sleep health.
A healthy sleep pattern has always been important, and it’s especially true as we continue to age. Sleep helps us regulate our stress and restore muscle fatigue that may occur over the course of the day. There are four critical sleep cycles to hit each night, and Peak Rest™ supports a realignment of these cycles and your all-important circadian rhythms so you can feel more relaxed and rested.
Head to MyLifeforce.com to get started with your personalized performance plan.
Sources:
The Extraordinary Importance of Sleep | NCBI
The Importance of Sleep | Google Scholar
Aging and Sleep: How Does Growing Old Affect Sleep? | Sleep Foundation
Coping With Changing Sleep Patterns as You Get Older | Michigan Medicine
Stages of Sleep: What Happens in a Sleep Cycle | Sleep Foundation
Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep | National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke