8 Things to Know About Aging and Inflammation in the Body by Dr. Breus

5. Even a single night of poor sleep can spike inflammation

It’s easy to write off a single night of poor sleep as no big deal. But every night of sleep counts. Research has shown that one night of insufficient sleep is enough to activate pro-inflammatory processes in the body. A 2008 study found that one single night of partial sleep resulted in significantly higher levels of NF-kB, a protein complex that sends a signal to stimulate inflammation throughout the body. Insufficient sleep also increases the activity of other immune system proteins, known as cytokines, that promote inflammation. 

Getting a full night of restful sleep—every night—makes a difference at a cellular level, in your body’s ability to keep inflammation in check, and slow the aging process over time.  Adopting daily habits and practices of healthy sleep hygiene is the key to creating a sleep routine that delivers for you, night after night. 

6. Inflammation creates cortisol problems for sleep 

When the body is in a state of chronic inflammation, it over-produces cortisol—and that’s bad news for sleep. Cortisol is an alerting and stimulating hormone, a major “fight or flight” hormone in the immune system arsenal. Cortisol, like most hormones, follows a daily, 24-hour circadian rhythm, rising and falling throughout the waking day before dropping to its lowest level in the early evening. Chronic inflammation keeps cortisol levels elevated, interfering with the nightly drop in cortisol production that we require in order to relax, get drowsy, fall asleep and stay asleep. 

Elevated cortisol in the body at night can shorten sleep amounts—by extending the time it takes to fall asleep, and by making you more likely to wake up in the middle of the night. (Too high cortisol can be a cause of those dreaded 3 a.m. awakenings.) And excess cortisol can reduce the quality of sleep, by keeping you in the lighter stages of sleep where you’re more likely to wake throughout the night—and keeping you out of the deepest, most restorative stages of sleep that fuels cellular repair and slows cellular aging. 

You can take steps to protect your body’s natural nightly drop in cortisol. Regular exercise (light to moderate in the evening, to avoid a short-term cortisol spike from intense exertion),  stress management with mindfulness practices, and limiting nighttime light exposure all support the important nightly decline in cortisol—and they all contribute to better sleep. 

7. Stress is a major player in the sleep-inflammation relationship

Stress is a common obstacle to sleep. Many people fall into a difficult cycle: ending the day stressed out, having a hard time sleeping, feeling exhausted and even more stressed the next day—which leads to more problems sleeping. 

This chronic sleep-stress cycle does more than make us tired and irritable. Stress is also a trigger for inflammation. At a biological level, our bodies respond to mental and emotional stress as they would to a harmful pathogen, or to a direct physical threat: with a “fight or flight” response that alters immune system functioning and kicks inflammation into higher gear. Over time, chronic stress creates systemic, low-grade inflammation that ages our cells, makes us look and feel older, and makes us more vulnerable to disease. 

Sleeping well can work directly to keep inflammation in check by avoiding the pro-inflammatory activity that occurs in the presence of poor, dysregulated sleep. And sleep offers us significant protection against stress, itself a major contributor to chronic inflammation.

I encourage my patients to use simple relaxation exercises throughout the day—and at night before bed—to help with daily stress management. Guided imagery, breathing exercises and other relaxation practices address both the physical and psychological components of stress. These are 5 of my favorite relaxation exercises for sleep. Mindfulness meditation is a proven stress reducer and an excellent daily practice for improving sleep. And studies of meditation have shown that this ancient mindfulness practice is associated with reductions in chronic, systemic inflammation. 

8. Gut health matters for both sleep AND inflammation

Problems with gut health contribute to chronic inflammation. What makes a gut unhealthy? Poor diet, stress, some medications, and illness all contribute to imbalances and dysfunction in the gut microbiome. 

Poor sleep and disrupted circadian rhythms also weaken gut health. A lack of sufficient, high quality sleep causes changes to the bacterial composition of the gut, decreasing beneficial bacteria and increasing bacteria associated with disease. Sleeping well is one way to help maintain a healthy gut. 

And maintaining gut health—by managing stress, exercising, eating a healthy diet that includes prebiotic (fiber-rich) foods—can help you sleep better. 

Both those pillars—healthy sleep and a balanced, thriving gut—can work to limit harmful inflammation, and may help to provide long-term protection against accelerated aging and disease. 

The tools for improving gut health are many of the same tools that promote great sleep: eating a diet that’s rich and diverse in whole, unprocessed foods (high-fiber and fermented foods are particularly good for the gut), managing stress, exercising regularly, limiting caffeine and alcohol, and getting help with sleep problems (through diagnosis and treatment of any sleep disorders, including sleep apnea). 

Chronic, systemic inflammation doesn’t always come with symptoms. Improving sleep is a powerful tool in helping guard against this often silent and damaging form of inflammation.