Restoring Delta Sleep VVill Provide Rejuvenation.

• Position: SLEEP DEPRIVATION

If you are over 45, you probably are not sleeping as well as you once did. You even may have grown accustomed to the brain fog that muddles your thinking. You are not the only one feeling drowsy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than one-third of U.S. adults are sleep deprived on a regular basis. The answer may be employing tried-and-true sleep basics.

"Sleeping fewer than six hours on a regular basis is a health concern," comments neurologist Dan Cohen, chairman and CEO of SolTec Health. "Decades of research, involving millions of people, show that chronic sleep deprivation is associated with increased risks of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and dementia."

Delta, or slow wave sleep stage, is associated with deep, restorative sleep. Delta sleep occurs mainly in the first half of the night, enabling you to sleep the rest of the night. "Delta sleep is more important than the other sleep stages of sleep regarding physical health. It is when the body secretes human growth hormone. Delta sleep enables the body and brain to recover from daytime activities, relieves stress, and can have a dramatic impact on overall health. It is also associated with performing better on memory tasks the next day."

Delta sleep, though, can be elusive. "People in their 20s spend about 20% to 25% of their sleep time in Delta sleep," says Cohen. "By your mid to late 40s, you've lost 60% to 70% of your Delta sleep. By the time you reach 70, youVe lost 80% to 90%."

To sleep better, and help restore your Delta sleep, Cohen suggests:

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