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 People are always asking me for my "top tips" for Aging Backwards. Well, I'd have to put sleep in the top three. Many years ago - more than a quarter century ago, actually - I had a job that required me to stay up all night. I was a rock-and-roll disc jockey from midnight to six a.m., but at the same time I was also a college student during the day. This left me only two hours a day to sleep. Not only was I so sleep-deprived that I could barely concentrate in school, but I've been told by people who knew me then and see me now that I look younger at 50 than I did at age 22.
People the world over are sleep-deprived and this can lead to a whole host of problems including weight gain.Scientists have found that too little sleep increases the "hunger hormone" levels and decreases the levels of the hormone that makes you feel full. Interestingly, the rise in the obesity rate correlates to the reduction in daily sleep hours compared to a few decades ago. Dr. Eve Van Cauter, a sleep researcher and professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, notes that the National Cancer Society surveyed more than a million Americans in 1960 and found that people said they got an average of eight-and-a-half hours of sleep. Van Cauter says most surveys today put the average sleep time of Americans at six or seven hours. Our bodies "tune up" when we're sleeping, so if you short-change your body with too little sleep you lose some of that tune-up time.
Here are my tips for the best Aging Backwards sleep: - Keep your room dark. Light interferes with the hormone melatonin, a natural immune system booster. In fact, a National Cancer Institute and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences study found that electric light during the night could even contribute to breast cancer.
- Sleep with ear plugs. If you live in a noisy area, you may want to buy those soft, squishy earplugs and use them at night because studies show that night time noise can raise your blood pressure, even when you're unaware of it.
- Love your mattress. For years I complained about my mattress until one day I finally decided to get a new one. What a difference a mattress makes! I love mine and it has truly improved the quality of my sleep.
- Keep cool. Keeping the temperature in your bedroom cool is conducive to better sleep. According to research, around 60 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit is optimal.
- No caffeine after 3:00 p.m. I know many people who say they can drink coffee after dinner and go straight to sleep, but I always wonder about the "quality" of the sleep. The 3:00 p.m. cutoff is my personal rule and it seems to be working for me - I sleep like a rock every night.
So, if you want to start Aging Backwards take inventory of your sleep habits. You may even want to chart the amount of sleep you're getting for a couple of weeks. You could be surprised to find that you're not getting as much sleep or the quality of sleep you need to wake up rested and rejuvenated. Then, try these tips for better, deeper sleep and wake up younger.
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Anti-aging and beauty expert Jackie Silver, founder of AgingBackwards.com, shares her secrets, tips and shortcuts for looking and feeling young. In her blog, she will give tips, tricks and secret weapons for stopping the effects of aging and improving the whole self - mind, body and spirit. Aging Backwards was born from her desire to help people look and feel the best they can. She is "the one" her friends go to for anti-aging information because she is driven to stop the clock. Aging Backwards is not a magic cream or product that will suddenly transform you. It's a way of life that has worked for her and will work for you. Some of the tips are common sense and some will be surprising, but the real key is to take what will work for you and make it part of your lifestyle. Sign up for Jackie's FREE newsletter here! 
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