Latest news with #biologicalAging
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Why bad dreams could be aging and prematurely killing you
Nightmares can literally scare the life out of people, new research suggests. Frequent unpleasant dreams and nightmares are being linked with accelerated biological aging and an untimely death. According to a British team, people who experience weekly distressing dreams are three times more likely to die before they reach age 70 than people who rarely or never report experiencing nightmares. Researchers said the finding held even after they accounted for smoking, obesity, unhealthy diets and other risk factors for an early death. The study can't prove causation — that nightmares are premature killers. However, one theory implicates the stress hormone cortisol. Higher levels of cortisol are associated with shorter telomeres, tiny caps at the end of chromosomes, like the tip of a shoelace. Telomeres get shorter every time a cell divides, and shorter telomeres are considered a sign of accelerated aging of the body's cells. Cortisol is present at high levels during nightmares. 'For those who frequently experience nightmares, this cumulative stress may significantly impact the aging process,' the study's lead author, Dr. Abidemi Otaiku, of the UK Dementia Research Institute and Imperial College London, said in a statement released this week. What's more, nightmares mess with how well and how long people sleep, 'impairing the body's essential overnight cellular restoration and repair,' Otaiku said. 'The combined effects of chronic stress and disrupted sleep likely contribute to the accelerated aging of our cells and bodies.' Nightmares are common, Otaiku reported in earlier work linking nightmares with an increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline in middle-aged adults. About five percent of adults experience nightmares weekly, and up to 40 percent monthly, percentages that are likely even higher if bad dreams are thrown in, he said. Considering how common a phenomenon nightmares are, 'it is surprising that their clinical significance remains largely unknown,' he wrote. In the latest study, presented this week at the European Academy of Neurology Congress in Helsinki, Otaiku and colleagues analyzed pooled data from 2,429 children aged eight to 10, and 183,012 adults aged 26 to 86 from six cohort studies following large groups of people over time. Adults reported how often they had nightmares at the start of the study, and were followed for up to 19 years. For kids, nightmare frequency was reported by parents. According to a release, adults reporting weekly nightmares were three times as likely to die prematurely than people who rarely or never experienced distressing dreams. 'Children and adults with more frequent nightmares also exhibited faster biological aging, which accounted for approximately 40 percent of the heightened mortality risk' among adults, according to the release. Even people who reported monthly nightmares showed signs of faster aging and a higher mortality, 'Our sleeping brains cannot distinguish dreams from reality,' Otaiku said. 'That's why nightmares often wake us up sweating, gasping for breath and with our hearts pounding — because our fight-or-flight response has been triggered. 'This stress reaction can be more intense than anything we experience while awake.' While it's all enough to lose sleep over, more research is needed to confirm the associations. Hormones are just one factor in accelerated cellular aging. In the meantime, nightmares are less likely if people avoid scary movies, manage stress and seek help for symptoms of anxiety or depression, Otaiku said. Stress can drive unpleasant dreams, University of Montreal psychologist and sleep scientist Antonio Zadra told National Post last year as part of a special series on sleep. But dreams also 'tend to embody our current concerns and preoccupations and much of what is on our minds is often negatively toned.' Worries 'get replayed in our dreams in metaphorical and disjointed ways, and the emotions underlying them get amplified,' Zadra said. Strategies to distract negative thoughts can help calm people down, he and other said, like reading a book or slowing breathing, which soothes the fight-or-flight response. National Post Millennial couples are sleeping apart to stay together. Why sleep divorce is surging Why more Canadians are landing in emergency departments with cannabis-induced vomiting Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Why bad dreams could be aging and prematurely killing you
Nightmares can literally scare the life out of people, new research suggests. Frequent unpleasant dreams and nightmares are being linked with accelerated biological aging and an untimely death. According to a British team, people who experience weekly distressing dreams are three times more likely to die before they reach age 70 than people who rarely or never report experiencing nightmares. Researchers said the finding held even after they accounted for smoking, obesity, unhealthy diets and other risk factors for an early death. The study can't prove causation — that nightmares are premature killers. However, one theory implicates the stress hormone cortisol. Higher levels of cortisol are associated with shorter telomeres, tiny caps at the end of chromosomes, like the tip of a shoelace. Telomeres get shorter every time a cell divides, and shorter telomeres are considered a sign of accelerated aging of the body's cells. Cortisol is present at high levels during nightmares. 'For those who frequently experience nightmares, this cumulative stress may significantly impact the aging process,' the study's lead author, Dr. Abidemi Otaiku, of the UK Dementia Research Institute and Imperial College London, said in a statement released this week. What's more, nightmares mess with how well and how long people sleep, 'impairing the body's essential overnight cellular restoration and repair,' Otaiku said. 'The combined effects of chronic stress and disrupted sleep likely contribute to the accelerated aging of our cells and bodies.' Nightmares are common, Otaiku reported in earlier work linking nightmares with an increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline in middle-aged adults. About five percent of adults experience nightmares weekly, and up to 40 percent monthly, percentages that are likely even higher if bad dreams are thrown in, he said. Considering how common a phenomenon nightmares are, 'it is surprising that their clinical significance remains largely unknown,' he wrote. In the latest study, presented this week at the European Academy of Neurology Congress in Helsinki, Otaiku and colleagues analyzed pooled data from 2,429 children aged eight to 10, and 183,012 adults aged 26 to 86 from six cohort studies following large groups of people over time. Adults reported how often they had nightmares at the start of the study, and were followed for up to 19 years. For kids, nightmare frequency was reported by parents. According to a release, adults reporting weekly nightmares were three times as likely to die prematurely than people who rarely or never experienced distressing dreams. 'Children and adults with more frequent nightmares also exhibited faster biological aging, which accounted for approximately 40 percent of the heightened mortality risk' among adults, according to the release. Even people who reported monthly nightmares showed signs of faster aging and a higher mortality, 'Our sleeping brains cannot distinguish dreams from reality,' Otaiku said. 'That's why nightmares often wake us up sweating, gasping for breath and with our hearts pounding — because our fight-or-flight response has been triggered. 'This stress reaction can be more intense than anything we experience while awake.' While it's all enough to lose sleep over, more research is needed to confirm the associations. Hormones are just one factor in accelerated cellular aging. In the meantime, nightmares are less likely if people avoid scary movies, manage stress and seek help for symptoms of anxiety or depression, Otaiku said. Stress can drive unpleasant dreams, University of Montreal psychologist and sleep scientist Antonio Zadra told National Post last year as part of a special series on sleep. But dreams also 'tend to embody our current concerns and preoccupations and much of what is on our minds is often negatively toned.' Worries 'get replayed in our dreams in metaphorical and disjointed ways, and the emotions underlying them get amplified,' Zadra said. Strategies to distract negative thoughts can help calm people down, he and other said, like reading a book or slowing breathing, which soothes the fight-or-flight response. National Post Millennial couples are sleeping apart to stay together. Why sleep divorce is surging Why more Canadians are landing in emergency departments with cannabis-induced vomiting Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
National Post
2 days ago
- Health
- National Post
Why bad dreams could be aging and prematurely killing you
Nightmares can literally scare the life out of people, new research suggests. Article content Frequent unpleasant dreams and nightmares are being linked with accelerated biological aging and an untimely death. Article content According to a British team, people who experience weekly distressing dreams are three times more likely to die before they reach age 70 than people who rarely or never report experiencing nightmares. Article content Article content Article content Telomeres get shorter every time a cell divides, and shorter telomeres are considered a sign of accelerated aging of the body's cells. Cortisol is present at high levels during nightmares. Article content 'For those who frequently experience nightmares, this cumulative stress may significantly impact the aging process,' the study's lead author, Dr. Abidemi Otaiku, of the UK Dementia Research Institute and Imperial College London, said in a statement released this week. Article content What's more, nightmares mess with how well and how long people sleep, 'impairing the body's essential overnight cellular restoration and repair,' Otaiku said. 'The combined effects of chronic stress and disrupted sleep likely contribute to the accelerated aging of our cells and bodies.' Article content Article content Nightmares are common, Otaiku reported in earlier work linking nightmares with an i ncreased risk of dementia and cognitive decline in middle-aged adults. Article content Article content About five percent of adults experience nightmares weekly, and up to 40 percent monthly, percentages that are likely even higher if bad dreams are thrown in, he said. Considering how common a phenomenon nightmares are, 'it is surprising that their clinical significance remains largely unknown,' he wrote. Article content In the latest study, presented this week at the European Academy of Neurology Congress in Helsinki, Otaiku and colleagues analyzed pooled data from 2,429 children aged eight to 10, and 183,012 adults aged 26 to 86 from six cohort studies following large groups of people over time. Article content Adults reported how often they had nightmares at the start of the study, and were followed for up to 19 years. For kids, nightmare frequency was reported by parents. Article content According to a release, adults reporting weekly nightmares were three times as likely to die prematurely than people who rarely or never experienced distressing dreams. 'Children and adults with more frequent nightmares also exhibited faster biological aging, which accounted for approximately 40 percent of the heightened mortality risk' among adults, according to the release.
Gizmodo
5 days ago
- Health
- Gizmodo
Frequent Nightmares Linked to Faster Aging and Premature Death
If you often have nightmares, you may need to worry a bit more about your health. New research presented today at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Congress 2025 links frequent nightmares to faster biological aging and an over three times higher risk of premature death, even when taking into account other medical conditions. The researchers claim to be the first to demonstrate this association, which could have significant implications for how seriously one should consider persistent nightmares. 'Our sleeping brains cannot distinguish dreams from reality,' Abidemi Otaiku, a neuroscientist at Imperial College London and presumably an author of a forthcoming study, explained in an EAN press release. 'That's why nightmares often wake us up sweating, gasping for breath, and with our hearts pounding – because our fight-or-flight response has been triggered. This stress reaction can be even more intense than anything we experience while awake.' Simply put, researchers tracked the nightmare frequency of adults and children (whose nightmares were reported by their parents) for time periods of up to 19 years. Their results demonstrate that both children and adults who often have nightmares experience accelerated biological aging. Adults who suffered from weekly nightmares were also more than three times as likely to die before the age of 70 as those who rarely or never had nightmares, with the faster biological aging accounting for around 40% of that increased early mortality risk. 'Nightmares lead to prolonged elevations of cortisol, a stress hormone closely linked to faster cellular ageing,' Otaiku added. 'For those who frequently experience nightmares, this cumulative stress may significantly impact the ageing process. Additionally, nightmares disrupt both sleep quality and duration, impairing the body's essential overnight cellular restoration and repair. The combined effects of chronic stress and disrupted sleep likely contribute to the accelerated ageing of our cells and bodies.' Specifically, the link between chronic nightmares and faster aging was consistent in participants of all sexes, ages, mental health statuses, and ethnicities. Biological aging was measured by looking at people's telomeres, the protective end caps of chromosomes. Shorter telomeres are widely considered to be a sign of greater biological age. Furthermore, the research revealed weekly nightmares to more strongly predict early death than other widely known causes, including obesity, smoking, a bad diet, and low physical activity. Even less frequent nightmares, however, had their toll. Participants who reported having them monthly also experienced faster aging and increased premature mortality compared to those who reported rare or no nightmares. As if living through terrifying experiences at night wasn't bad enough, the associated health consequences highlighted in the new research carry important implications for how seriously we should take nightmares. And if we're being honest, the state of plastic pollution and human-driven accelerated geological processes are probably not helping in that category, either.
Health Line
24-05-2025
- Health
- Health Line
Vitamin D May Slow Biological Aging and Help You Live Longer
A new study suggests that vitamin D supplementation may help preserve the lengths of the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes known as telomeres. Researchers say maintaining the length of telomeres may help slow some aspects of biological aging. Telomere length is an important component of healthy aging, but the role vitamin D can play isn't yet certain. A new study reports that vitamin D supplementation may help slow some of the mechanisms of biological aging. The research, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggests that vitamin D may help maintain the stability of telomeres, the protective caps at the end of chromosomes that tend to shorten as people get older. That shortening is a natural part of aging, but it has been linked to certain age-related diseases. Among those diseases are cancer of the bladder, lungs, kidneys, and gastrointestinal systems. 'Our findings suggest that targeted vitamin D supplementation may be a promising strategy to counter a biological aging process, although further research is warranted,' said Haidong Zhu, MD, PhD, the first author of the study and a molecular geneticist at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, in a statement. Experts agree the new research is interesting, but they note it has its limits. 'Telomere length was protected with vitamin D supplementation, but it's not clear how that translates to real life biological aging,' Marilyn Tan, MD, a clinical associate professor of medicine at Stanford University in California, told Healthline. Tan wasn't involved in the study. 'The present study involved only a relatively small number of people, looked only at telomeres in white blood cells, and did not look extensively at the health impact of these telomere changes,' added David Cutler, MD, a family medicine physician at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California. 'So, the clinical implications one can derive from this study are quite limited.' Cutler was likewise not involved in the study. Vitamin D and the aging process The researchers based their findings on the results of the VITAL randomized controlled clinical trial, which was overseen by Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. For their study, the researchers tracked 1,054 participants to see if vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids can lessen telomere shortening and slow biological aging. The study group included females ages 55 and older and males ages 50 and older. The researchers followed the participants for five years, measuring telomere length in white blood cells at baseline, year two, and year four. The researchers reported that omega-3 fatty acids had no significant effect on telomere length. However, they said vitamin D3 supplements significantly reduced telomere shortening and prevented the equivalent of nearly three years of aging in people who took vitamin D in comparison to people who were given a placebo. Experts say such a slowdown in the aging process has important benefits. 'Slowing biological aging may improve life expectancy and quality of life, and it could reduce the risk of various disease states,' Tan said. How to boost your vitamin D intake It's estimated that 35% of people in the United States have a deficiency of vitamin D. The current recommendation for daily vitamin D consumption is 400 to 800 international units for most healthy people. Vitamin D is known as the 'sunshine vitamin' because the best source for it is sunlight. Your body makes dietary vitamin D3 out of the cholesterol in the skin when it is exposed to the sun's UV rays. The best time to get the most of this beneficial sunlight is noon, when the sun is at its peak. However, experts say that too much sunlight can cause sunburns, eye damage, heatstroke, and skin cancer. There aren't a lot of foods that are sufficient sources of vitamin D, but there are a few. They are: cod liver oil cooked swordfish cooked salmon canned tuna cooked beef liver large egg yolks In addition, you can drink milk fortified with vitamin D. Some types of mushrooms as well as cheese can also be healthy sources for vitamin D. Tan said the amount of vitamin D a person needs depends on the individual. 'The ideal amount of supplementation depends on one's baseline vitamin D level,' she explained. 'Various factors can impact vitamin D levels and metabolism, including sun exposure, time of year, geographical location, skin tone, kidney function, among other factors.' 'While sun exposure can increase vitamin D levels, excessive UV exposure has other health risks,' Tan noted. 'Vitamin D can be obtained to a certain degree from the diet, but people often need additional supplemental vitamins. To know exactly how much vitamin D supplementation one needs, you should discuss with your healthcare provider.' Cutler said people with healthy vitamin D levels probably don't need supplementation. 'There have been many studies involving tens of thousands of people seeking to document [the] benefits of vitamin D in healthy adults with normal vitamin D levels, and no benefits have been found,' Cutler told Healthline. 'There has been no documentation of reduced cancer rates, less cardiovascular disease, increased longevity, protection from infection, or improved outcomes from COVID.'
