As we age, getting a good night's sleep becomes increasingly rare. However, this may turn out to be an evolutionary remnant that helped our ancestors survive, and not insomnia, as most people believe.
Studying modern hunter-gatherer peoples in Africa, scientists found that family members of different ages living together have a sleep-wake schedule in such a way that at least one of them does not sleep or sleeps very shallowly.
Scientists suggest that thousands of years ago, when lions could roam around at two in the morning, this distribution of sleep was necessary for our ancestors.
"Older people complain to doctors that they wake up early in the morning and can't get back to sleep," says Charlie Nunn, a professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University in the US.
“But perhaps this is quite normal. It may be that some physical conditions that modern medicine regards as disorders are actually characteristics that gave a person an advantage in ancient times.
In a group of different ages, some always go to bed earlier, and some later. If you are older, you will most likely be a morning person; if you are younger, you will be a night owl.
Being in the light sleep phase, a person is more susceptible to various environmental hazards.”
Scientists decided to test their theory - the so-called "senile insomnia" hypothesis - on the Hadza people living in northern Tanzania, who still live by hunting and gathering.
The Hadza live and sleep in groups of 20-30 people. During the day, men and women disperse through the open forest of the savannah near Lake Eyasi in northern Tanzania in search of edible tubers, berries, honey and meat. In the evening the group reunites for the night's sleep near the fireplace or in the grass hut.
“These people are as modern as you and me, but their way of life is similar to the period of our past, when people hunted and gathered for their food. The life of the Hadza people can tell us a lot about the course of evolution,” says study co-author Alyssa Crittenden, assistant professor in the department of anthropology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
"They sleep on the ground and don't have the artificial lighting or weather forecasts that characterized early humans."
For the experiment, thirty-three healthy Hadza men and women between the ages of 20 and 60 agreed to wear a special wristwatch-like device that would count the number of times they moved during a night's sleep.
The results showed that the Hadza rarely slept at the same time. Some went to bed at 22.00 and woke up at 6.00, others dozed after 8.00, but they did not go to bed until 23.00.
Many dozed and often woke up during the night to smoke, approach a crying child, or urinate and dozed off again.
The observation lasted 220 hours. The scientists found that during all this time, all adult members of the group slept soundly for only 18 minutes at a time. On average, more than a third of the group were awake or sleeping very lightly.
Similar studies have been conducted previously on birds, mice and other animals. This phenomenon was tested in humans for the first time.
Sleep wisely | Seven steps to healthy sleep
- Establish pre- and post-sleep routines as they directly affect the quality of your sleep and wakefulness.
- Take tech breaks throughout the day.
- Get up an hour and a half earlier than you need to to get ready for your day.
- Don't reach for your phone! Before you send your first text message or respond to an email, make sure you are completely awake and thinking clearly.
- The body's movement from warm to cool causes a natural drop in body temperature, which is necessary for sound sleep. A quick rinse in a warm shower and a cool bedroom will help.
- Remove all unnecessary objects from the bedroom and dispel all unnecessary thoughts before trying to sleep.
- Move gradually from light to dark in the evenings and from dark to light in the mornings.
Scientists have noticed that the shift in hours of sleep and wakefulness is associated with age: people aged 50-60 years old went to bed and woke up earlier than 20-30 year olds.
Researchers believe that throughout most of human history, in different age groups, the habit of sleeping at different times helped our ancestors remain alert during the night. Because of this evolutionary feature, the Hadza people do not need to specifically appoint someone to stand guard at night, scientists say.
“For some time there was an idea about the advantages of living together with grandparents. Scientists have extended this idea to vigilance during nighttime sleep, says study author David Samson of Duke University in North Carolina.
This study was preceded by earlier studies that found that arthritis and short stature were atavisms that helped our ancestors survive the Ice Age.
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As people age, they not only gain weight, but also become shorter. This phenomenon is a normal process that occurs as we age and can be explained by three main reasons.
As we approach old age, we become shorter. First, it occurs due to dehydration of the discs between the vertebrae, causing them to become flatter and the overall length of the spine to decrease. The second cause of height loss is flattening of the arch of the foot. And the third is loss of muscle mass, especially in the abdominal area. This significantly worsens our posture, causes us to hunch over, and we become more and more like our grandparents, who once seemed short to us.
On average, a person loses about 0.6-0.8 centimeters in height every year after age 40. By the age of seventy, men become 3-4 centimeters lower, and women – 5 centimeters lower. This effect is less noticeable in men because they tend to have stronger bones and more muscle mass.
If you are losing height faster than normal, it may be a sign of osteoporosis, where your bones become too fragile. In addition, bad habits such as smoking, alcohol and coffee abuse, and lack of physical activity increase the effect of age-related height loss.
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Older people who have sex regularly are not only happier in their relationships, but also more satisfied with their lives in general, experts say.
People age differently: This is obvious when you look at people your age on Facebook. But I wonder why they look so much older than you, even if you were born in the same year?
How does a person's character change with age?
All qualities of character a person’s behavior influences how he behaves in the family, in society, and even how he perceives himself. But with age certain things happen change of character. This is most noticeable in children as adolescence begins.
If you have carefully read articles about human temperament types, you know that there are only four characters: phlegmatic, sanguine, choleric And melancholic. There are few pure sanguine people or, for example, phlegmatic people.
Most people have a mixed type of temperament, which is very good. Why? It's very simple: each character type has both positive and negative traits. If this is not so noticeable in childhood and adolescence, then dramatic changes can occur with age. And close people will not always be happy with such changes in the character of a husband or wife.
Have you already taken a short test and found out what your personality type is? If not, now is the time to do so and then return to reading this article.
Why do we need to know the character of ourselves and our loved ones? In order to better understand ourselves and the people around us, then misunderstandings and conflicts that are completely unnecessary for family life will disappear. Why be nervous or angry if your husband (wife) is acting a little strange?
This is from your point of view. But your spouse does not understand what lies at the basis of your actions and often gets irritated, which is not welcomed by you. You begin to grumble under your breath or even loudly express your dissatisfaction. The husband doesn’t like this, and everything begins to move in a vicious circle. Over the years, irritation can accumulate and family relationships deteriorate.
How can this be avoided? Try to understand your spouse and find out why he does this, what underlies his actions.
If you begin to understand your husband, you can help him. Conversely, he will be able to help you, advise you and lend a helping hand when things get difficult for you.
Why does character deteriorate with age? There are many reasons for this. Unfortunately, our life is structured in such a way that after starting a family, difficulties begin that we did not even suspect about. You probably remember the conversation between two friends:
How's life?
It hits you hard, mostly on the head.
Few people's life's path is strewn with roses; for some reason, most of us get thorns. We have to make our way in life, struggle with circumstances, and at the same time we change, this is normal.
Vovochka asks:
Mom, why does dad have so little hair on his head?
Because he is very smart.
Why do you have so many?
Shut up and eat!
But some qualities of our character, which seemed funny in our youth, can turn into such that they simply begin to poison our lives. And not only for us, but also for our loved ones. What happens to a person after 30 years?
Consider this type of temperament as choleric.
These strong and energetic people can change a lot as they age. Change so much that you won't even be able to recognize them if you haven't seen them for a long time.
What can happen to a choleric person if life turns its back on him?
Remember, I told you who this person is and how to communicate with him?
The choleric person loves to keep everything under his control; he definitely needs to dominate other people, lead and constantly move towards a new goal.
But over the years, changes may occur that prevent such a person from realizing his abilities. It’s good if this doesn’t happen, but life is so unpredictable...
The choleric suddenly loses power, if a younger employee is appointed in his place, then his authority falls, and he takes all this very hard.
The respect that he has always enjoyed disappears, and the choleric person quickly reacts to such changes. You could even say that he is breaking down inside, and this is understandable. After all, he no longer has the influence and power to which he was accustomed.
A choleric person may lose his temper, start drinking, talk to his wife and children in a raised voice, and even shout at them. The challenge that this person needed in the best of times begins to exert strong pressure from within.
The consequences can be dire. Therefore, the wife should help her husband, inspire him to new exploits, or even set a goal for him. The main thing is to notice in time the changes that occur in his character and take action.
If from the very beginning of the family the husband was an unquestioned authority, and the wife did not want to argue with him and did not contradict him in anything, then in such a situation the husband can turn into a despot and tyrant for his loved ones.
Do you understand why it is so important to develop the traits of the other character types that you have? If a choleric person has the traits of a phlegmatic person inside, then he will begin to help other people, and in this way he will be able to overcome the crisis.
I will write about one more, in my opinion, the most striking change that can happen to a choleric person if life gives him an unpleasant surprise. It’s hard to believe, but these strong people can start collecting old junk and gradually turn into a kind of “Plyushkin”.
Imagine a situation where a choleric person suddenly lost his job, where he received a high salary, or simply went broke. The ground suddenly disappeared from under his feet, the world turned upside down, and there were no close people nearby who could help him.
And such a person begins to accumulate things at home, he puts them in piles and brings them back again, filling the entire living space.
So far he doesn’t get confused at all, but he still can’t stop it on his own.
I used to lead a very active life: I played tennis, football, played chess, and took part in auto racing. But it all ended when the computer died.
Do you know why he does this? He needs the same control that drove his actions before. And the only thing that this control returns to him is collecting trash.
That’s why the help of loved ones and their understanding are so important. If suddenly your husband is choleric and is going through a period of crisis, help him understand that this crisis is simply challenging him. Set a goal for your husband, talk to him in his language, which he understands. And this unpleasant moment in life will end.
Just don’t leave your loved one to fight with himself alone, be there and tell him where to go next and what difficult task needs to be solved in the very near future. Help and support are very, very important, remember this.
What happens to phlegmatic when his age becomes 30 years or more?
Changes in character may not be as bright and noticeable as in a choleric person, but they also exist. Every phlegmatic person with age begins to fear change, because he feels so good and calm when everything flows smoothly and nothing new happens.
Therefore, some people with this type of temperament try to make sure that no one and nothing bothers them. Remember how an ostrich buries its head in the sand and how frogs croak in a swamp with standing water?
The principle: “my house is on the edge, I don’t know anything” can become the main thing for a phlegmatic person. Agree that it is difficult to put up with such behavior, because in life something is constantly changing, you need to move forward, and there is no escape from it.
This approach to life can have a very bad effect on loved ones, because they are used to the fact that a person with such a character always came to the rescue before.
The desire for peace of mind can lead to a complete change in lifestyle: TV becomes your main friend.
Phlegmatic people like to sit near the TV in the evenings, watch the news, begin to be afraid of everything and gradually withdraw into themselves. You meet such a person, and he begins to tell you all sorts of horrors: who was killed and where, where the catastrophe happened, and the like.
At the same time, he intimidates himself even more, but in the evening he sits down in front of the TV again and watches everything. And at the same time he believes what he hears, because such a person is very trusting.
This is, of course, an extreme, but it occurs quite often.
If troubles start in the family, it is very difficult for a phlegmatic person to cope with the problems. After all, it is difficult for him to overcome fears. But everything can be fixed, especially if there are close people who are ready to help.
There are also people of this type of temperament who, because of their desire to help, can greatly harm their loved ones. If suddenly the husband develops a bad habit of drinking, the wife will endure it for a long time, not daring to take extreme measures.
A phlegmatic person tries not to offend anyone, he is a little naive, which, for example, children can take advantage of. They can completely shift all responsibility for their children to grandparents who are ready to help. They simply abandon their children, refusing to raise them. And they motivate this by the fact that they are too tired at work.
Grandparents take their grandchildren with them and take care of them until they become adults. Of course, my health is no longer what it used to be, and the burden is too heavy, but what can you do? We need to help everyone! You probably know such stories.
Sanguine.
Everything is simple here. If you have a mixed personality type, then the positive traits may outweigh the negative ones. You will always remain a cheerful and cheerful person and live a very happy life.
If you are a pure sanguine person by temperament, then you need to be especially attentive to your loved ones and appreciate their love and care. It may take all their patience and good attitude towards you. Why?
The carefree nature of such a person changes greatly at some point in his life. This happens according to approximately the same scenario. At first everything is fun, everything is wonderful. Friends with whom there are constant meetings, new acquaintances, and so on.
Such a person always sits at the head of the table and tells jokes and all sorts of funny incidents. And this happens all the time until these people simply get tired of him.
With age, a sanguine person begins to talk a lot about himself and at the same time does not listen to other people at all. He is absolutely not interested in your life, because other people are of little interest to him.
You meet such a person, and he tells you everything and tells you about his life, without letting you get a word in. Then you leave, full of other people’s problems, although none of this concerns you at all.
No, no and no! To buy arsenic, you need a prescription. I really sympathize with you, but one photo of your mother-in-law is not enough.
What will a sanguine person do if they don’t appreciate him and make it clear? He will go looking for another company and a new family. Very often, a person with this type of temperament has a second, third, and even fourth family.
But at the end of his life he may be left alone, abandoned by everyone and completely useless to anyone.
To prevent this from happening, control yourself and ask your wife more often what she doesn’t like in your relationship. Remember that approval and popularity do not have to be sought outside. After all, it is much better to be a bright and significant person in your own family.
You just need to learn to take responsibility and not shift it onto the shoulders of other people.
Melancholic.
For some reason, I always write about melancholic people last. But I think that people with this type of character will not be offended by me. After all, they know their own worth and almost always expect quality answers and accurately plan every day of their lives.
The main thing is to understand everything in order, without jumping from place to place.
What can happen to a person who strives for perfection? Oddly enough, melancholic people are prone to depression. They constantly worry about everything: about their children, about their husband or wife, about their parents, about the weather, and even about their pets.
These thoughts that constantly spin in your head become the cause of real depression, from which it is difficult to get out.
If a melancholic person lives alone, the character can deteriorate so much that the person even stops smiling. And he will turn into a rather unpleasant person, become a kind of bore.
In the animal world, rhinoceroses have this character. These animals are always in a bad mood, very suspicious and ready to attack when in danger.
But this is again an extreme.
Melancholic people love tasks; they receive them from their loved ones or come up with them themselves. For example, they study new areas or immerse themselves in something interesting that can completely captivate them and give them a lot of positive emotions.
A melancholic person must learn to be tactful towards other people and not express their remarks in a harsh tone, so as not to hurt the feelings of other people. Try to enjoy life so that your character does not deteriorate. (Don't let the rhino come out of the bush).
Just look at your life from a different angle, you will definitely see the blue sky above your head, the bright sun and hear the birds singing in the trees. And then any change your character With age it will only get better.
And if you try to figure out what kind of birds sing so well, you will find a new and completely unexplored area in which you can acquire new knowledge. You can study anything, because melancholic people have a very inquisitive mind. For example, take up painting, as I did myself, or scuba diving or something else.
Melancholic people understand what I'm talking about.
There is much more to write about qualities of character, about how a person’s character changes with age, about phlegmatic, sanguine, choleric And melancholic. But the article ends, so I'm calling it a day.
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As people grow older, they lose the character traits that are typical of small children. These include capriciousness, irresponsibility, tearfulness, self-centeredness and much more. As people age, they acquire positive or “adult” character traits, which manifest themselves to varying degrees over time in everyone. These traits include tolerance, reasonableness, responsibility, and sophistication. By the way, it is the accumulation of life experience that to a very large extent changes people’s views on what is happening.
Twenty-year-old people live mainly in the future; all their activity, thoughts and actions are filled with plans that are more like pipe dreams. Most often, at the age of twenty, people have no idea what difficulties they will face, so they look at the world very, sometimes even overly optimistic. Most people in their twenties are characterized by putting off important things “for tomorrow” and lacking tolerance and responsibility. But all this changes by the age of thirty.
At this age, all people’s thoughts are still directed to the future, but this is not that distant and ephemeral future. At thirty, a person no longer dreams, but makes plans. By this age, as a rule, enough experience and ideas about life have accumulated, which allows you to look at the world with more confidence. Usually around thirty, all character traits become a little sharper, positive and negative qualities become more pronounced. By the age of thirty, a person receives the character he deserves. In most cases, after this age, no cardinal, serious changes occur, unless, of course, serious emotional upheavals occur that change your entire life.
Character in maturity
In the next two decades, people pass a milestone that unites both the past and the future for them. Most often, during this period (around the age of fifty), pragmatic character traits come to the fore, making life easier in the present, but all sorts of idealistic qualities that are associated with dreams and daydreams fade into the background.
People aged sixty to seventy think much less about the future than about the past. The appearance of physical ailments and decreased performance lead to nostalgia for the past. People at this age think that everything was better in the past, so sometimes character traits such as grumpiness and constant dissatisfaction with the people around them come to the fore. If a person at this age lives a full life, communicates with friends, spends enough time with his family, such negative character traits appear to a lesser extent.
Are we poor, unhappy, getting old?American scientists have found that with age a person becomes smarter and more reasonable, as his brain begins to work at full capacity. At the same time, the peak of intellectual activity occurs at 50-70 years. These are the sensational results of the work of researcher Barbara Stouch, ITAR-TASS reports with reference to The Daily Mail.
Traditionally, it was believed that mental activity fades over time, as neurons - brain cells - gradually die, and by the end of life a person loses up to 30% of neurons. However, recent research has revealed that this is not the case at all: brain cells do not die. The connections between them may be lost, but only if the person does not use them in any way.
At the same time, over time, the amount of myelin in the brain increases - a substance that causes the signal to pass between neurons faster. Due to this, the overall intellectual power of the brain increases up to 3000% compared to the average. And the peak activity of myelin production occurs at 60 years of age and older.
In addition, if up to 50 years of age there is a strict “division of labor” between the two hemispheres of the brain and each of them performs strictly defined functions, then after 50 years of age a person can use both parts of the brain simultaneously. This allows him to solve much more complex problems.
Along with this, the life experiences of adults and older people acquired throughout their lives also have an impact. They are less likely to be confused by unusual or emotional information than younger people. As University of California professor Dilip Jaist said, “The brain of a person who has decades of life behind him is less impulsive and more rational.” In his opinion, this can be called wisdom.
However, the peak of intellectual activity has its negative sides. Due to the huge amount of information that has accumulated over many years, the RAM becomes full, and this leads to forgetfulness and absent-mindedness, neurosurgeons note.
In connection with the above, I want to give you advice from a 90-year-old woman. These lines should be re-read at least once a week! They were written by Regina Brett, 90, of Cleveland. Wanting to celebrate her 45th birthday, she compiled 45 lessons that life has taught her. She turned 90 and decided to go public.
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, take another step forward.
3. Life is too short to waste it on hatred.
4. Work won't take care of you when you're sick. Yours will do it
friends and parents. Take care of this relationship.
5. Pay off your credit card debts every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree or disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It is acceptable to be angry with God. He will understand.
9. Save for retirement from your first salary.
10. When it comes to chocolate, there is no point in resisting.
11. Make peace with your past so that it does not spoil your present.
12. You can allow yourself to cry in front of your children.
13. Don't compare your life to someone else's. You have no idea what they are
have to actually experience it.
14. If the relationship is supposed to be secret, you shouldn't be involved in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry: God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of everything that cannot be called useful, beautiful or funny.
18. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. However, the second childhood
depends entirely on you..
20. When it's time to follow what you really love
in this life, don't talk<нет>.
21. Burn candles, use nice sheets, wear nice underwear.
Nothing saved for a special occasion. This special occasion is today.
22. Prepare abundantly, and then come what may.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait until you're old to wear bright red clothes.
24. The most important organ in sex is the brain.
25. No one but you is responsible for your happiness.
26. In case of any so-called disaster, ask the question:<Будет ли это важно через пять лет?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everything and everyone.
29. What others think of you should not concern you.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give it time.
31. It doesn’t matter whether the situation is good or bad, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself seriously. Nobody does this.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because he is God, not because of what you have done or not.
35. There is no need to study life. You appear in it and do as much as you can.
36. Growing old is a better alternative than dying young.
37. Your children have only one future.
38. All that matters in the end is that you experienced love.
39. Go out for a walk every day. Miracles happen everywhere.
40. If we piled up all our problems and compared them with
strangers, we would quickly take ours.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have everything you need.
42. However, the best is yet to come:
43. No matter how you feel, get up, get dressed and go out in public.
44. Give in.
45. Even though life isn't tied up with a bow, it's still a gift.
