If you feel tired when you wake up in the morning, it is proof that your brain is not getting tired. If the brain, which controls the autonomic nervous system, does not rest, you will not be able to sleep soundly and will not be able to recover from brain fatigue. I will explain 10 points of sleep that bring good sleep that can take brain fatigue.
Table of contents
- Supervisor profile: Osami Kajimoto
- The cause of the fatigue you usually feel is brain fatigue
- The power value of a woman in her 50s is a level that would knock down a wild animal
- Reason why “sleep technique to rest the brain” is important for brain fatigue recovery
- Try before going to bed!
- What is your sleep time and sleep position? Four sleep points during sleep
- Held on December 9, 2022! <Online> Akiko Yamashita’s “Rejuvenating Sleep” Lecture
Supervisor profile: Osami Kajimoto
Kajimoto Osami Director of the Tokyo Fatigue and Sleep Clinic. Physician/Doctor of Medicine. Specially Appointed Professor, Department of Fatigue Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka City University. Born in 1962 (Showa 37). He completed the Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University. Since 2003, he has been the general manager of the industry-government-academia collaboration “Fatigue Quantification and Anti-Fatigue Food Development Project”. His major publications include “All fatigue is caused by the brain I, II, III” (Shueisha Shinsho).
The cause of the fatigue you usually feel is brain fatigue
Specifically, it is fatigue in the autonomic nerve center in the hypothalamus and anterior cingulate gyrus in the brain, and it is often an illusion that the body is tired. says Osami Kajimoto, a leading expert in fatigue medicine and director of the Tokyo Fatigue and Sleep Clinic.
When Kajimoto examined the condition of a person who continued to pedal a bicycle for four hours in an experiment, while there was almost no change in the values of muscles and internal organs compared to before the start, there was a clear change in the brain, especially the center of the autonomic nervous system. I was.
The autonomic nervous system controls all vital functions, such as sweating to keep the body temperature from rising too high and raising the heart rate to take in more oxygen. Continuing to exercise puts a load on the autonomic nerves and makes you tired. Tired autonomic nerves activate their defensive instincts to protect their lives. Then, a command is sent to the orbitofrontal cortex, which is located near the eyebrows, to prevent further exercise. This is the reality of fatigue that we usually feel.
The power value of a woman in her 50s is a level that would knock down a wild animal
Furthermore, the power value of the autonomic nerve itself decreases with age, and the load that can be endured also decreases (see graph). This decline in power is the reason why we get tired more easily as we age. When you reach your 50s, your power value is one-third of what it was when you were in your 20s. According to Ms. Kajimoto, “In the world of wild animals, you can’t live below 500,” but the average for women in their 50s is about 500. It is natural to feel tired every day because it has fallen to the level where wild animals would collapse.
If you leave it unattended without taking any countermeasures because it is natural, you will not only get tired and painful, but also say, “Brain cells will be oxidized and rust will accumulate, which may lead to aging of the brain.” (Mr. Kajimoto).
Reason why “sleep technique to rest the brain” is important for brain fatigue recovery
So what can we do about it?
The autonomic nervous system consists of the sympathetic nervous system that works in tension and excitement, and the parasympathetic nervous system that works in relaxation. When the sympathetic nervous system becomes dominant, the autonomic nervous system operates at full capacity, leading to fatigue.
“It is effective to reduce fatigue by relaxing and increasing the time when the parasympathetic nervous system is dominant,” says Kajimoto.
People who say “I get tired easily these days” may actually be tired of their brains. The key to the cause of fatigue is the “brain”, which has the center of the autonomic nervous system. The brain, which continues to send commands to the body, can only rest when you are asleep, so it is important to sleep deeply and soundly first.
A measure of how tired you are is how tired you feel when you wake up in the morning. If you feel tired, it’s a sign that your brain is tired. Sleep is the most important thing for recovery from fatigue. Brain fatigue can only be recovered by sleeping. However, what should people do if they say that “sleep has become shallower as they get older”?
There are many ways to reduce fatigue in your daily life. Mr. Kajimoto says that the important thing is to cut corners rationally. In particular, he says to women in the early-fifth generation, “I want you to have time to do nothing.” “Because there is no limit to work and housework, I end up working all the time.
In this article, we introduce “comfortable sleep techniques to rest your brain” that you can start right now in your daily life. Let’s start with things that are easy to incorporate into our lives and put them into practice.
Try before going to bed!
1 Make the bed and futon an environment where you can sleep alone
When your partner sleeps next to you, their body temperature shifts, their movements are felt, and their snoring is loud, causing stress and disturbing sleep. In order to prevent fatigue, we recommend that you prepare an environment where you can sleep alone rather than sleeping in a double bed.
2 Drink a glass of hot water
During sleep, dehydration puts a load and stress on the autonomic nerves, which causes light sleep. Warming your stomach with hot water will make your parasympathetic nerves dominant, making it easier to fall asleep.
3 Don’t have a nightcap at bedtime
Alcohol has a stimulating effect, and even if you do fall asleep, it’s easy to wake up in the middle, so you can’t sleep deep enough to rest your brain. Alcohol also relaxes the muscles around the airways, causing loud snoring that loads and stresses the autonomic nervous system.
4 Set your alarm to a gentle sound
Set the alarm clock or smartphone alarm function to a gentle sound, such as the voice of a bird. When we are startled by a loud noise, the sympathetic nervous system, whose activity level had decreased during sleep, becomes dominant, causing a rapid increase in blood pressure and heart rate. It puts a load on the autonomic nervous system.
5 Don’t use your phone in bed
Isn’t there a lot of people who say, “Even after entering the futon, I somehow touch my smartphone or tablet?” The strong light of the LCD screen makes the sympathetic nervous system dominant, so make it a habit to turn off your mobile phone 30 minutes before going to bed.
6 Turn off electric blankets in cold weather just before going to bed
In the cold season, sleeping in a cold futon puts a load on the autonomic nerves, so warming the futon with an electric blanket before going to bed is effective for a good night’s sleep. But leaving it on all night can cause night sweats and dehydration. Don’t forget to turn off the power before going to bed.
What is your sleep time and sleep position? Four sleep points during sleep
7 Need at least 6 hours of sleep
During sleep, shallow “REM sleep” and deep “non-REM sleep” are alternately repeated in units of 90 to 120 minutes, and non-REM sleep is required 3 to 4 times to relieve brain fatigue. Try to get at least six hours of sleep if you don’t want to carry over into the next day.
8 Sleep on your side instead of on your back
When you sleep on your back, your tongue hangs down and blocks your airway, making it easier for you to snore. Sleeping on your side, in which the tongue does not block the airway, is effective against snoring. Especially if you sleep on your right side, your digestion and absorption will be smoother and you will be able to sleep better.
9 Use air conditioners and timers
The extreme temperature difference will increase blood pressure and put a load on the autonomic nerves, so use the air conditioner appropriately. In the summer, do not overcool the room, and set the air conditioner to a comfortable temperature.
In winter, waking up from a warm futon and entering a cold room can damage the autonomic nerves. It’s best to set the heating timer and warm up the room 30 minutes before you wake up.
10 Sleep with your hands out of the futon
When your hands get warm, the sympathetic nervous system becomes dominant and it becomes difficult to fall asleep. It’s just right to put your hands out of the futon a little and fall asleep. On the other hand, if your feet are warmed, the parasympathetic nervous system becomes dominant, so be careful not to let your feet get cold. Interview
/Text: Mika Kobayashi (Editorial Department)
In addition, the posted information is as of the time of the interview, so please contact the facility for the latest information.
Held on December 9, 2022! <Online> Akiko Yamashita’s “Rejuvenating Sleep” Lecture
A “rejuvenating sleep” lecture was held by Dr. Akiko Yamashita, a neurosurgeon who is familiar with anti-aging and mental health. For good sleep, such as body scan meditation that helps you fall asleep better before going to bed, poses that activate sleep hormones, methods to increase happiness hormones by recording emotions, specific measures to reduce stress hormones, etc. I will teach you simple care that you can do yourself.
