After the age of 50, insomnia is not just a question of stress: our internal clock becomes out of sync and our nights are less restorative. Chronobiologist Damien Davenne explains to us how to unplug your brain and (finally) sleep better.
In our fifties, we often experience an exhausting paradox: the body demands rest, but the brain refuses to switch off. It’s not just a “bad time to go through”, it’s a real physiological turning point. Today, almost one in two women over 50 suffers from sleep disorders, a figure much higher than among those in their thirties (30%), estimates Public Health France. At this pivotal age, the quality of our nights no longer depends only on our day, but on an internal clock which begins to lose its bearings.
For Damien Davenne, chronobiologist, the explanation is primarily mechanical: our internal clock ages. “The signals that allow the clock to function correctly are less well captured“, he explains. Among the causes, he cites less exposure to natural light due to our busy executive lives and a drop in the production of melatonin, the “switch” hormone that tells cells to go into night mode.
But after the age of 50, the disruption is not only luminous, it is also hormonal and psychological. It is the age of great responsibilities, of concerns for the future of children and, for women, of menopause. “Menopause actually results in hot flashes at night, a temperature dysregulation which, in itself, wakes you up. To switch to night mode, the brain needs freshness“, underlines the expert. Once awakened by a physiological alert, the brain takes over with rumination: this looping thought mechanism which maintains unnecessary vigilance.
“At 20 or 30 years old, you can pull on the rope: the body can cope with short nights and stress without too much damage. But at age 50, this capacity for resilience fades. What previously went unnoticed – a screen before sleeping, a professional annoyance – becomes an immediate warning signal“, continues the chronobiologist. Insomnia is no longer a simple lack of sleep, it is a sign that the body can no longer function “on the fly” and requires new instructions. The good news is that these nocturnal awakenings are not inevitable, but an indicator. “We can consider starting to ruminate at night as an early warning sign that our life needs attention to our body.“, reassures Damien Davenne.
To turn off this “little bike” that runs in your head, the solution lies in resynchronization and to recalibrate your clock, exposure to daylight in the morning is crucial because it allows you to secrete more melatonin in the evening. Avoid sleeping in on the weekend: “the gap between your weekday schedule and your weekend schedule is probably the worst thing. At 50, the body no longer “digests” this jet lag that we impose on ourselves.”warns the researcher. Getting up regularly is the key to restful sleep.
Since the brain is more sensitive to anxiety at age 50, it is essential to “take it easy” and adopt disconnection rituals (stopping screens, reading, breathing) well before going to bed. Obviously, to sleep well, you need to move regularly and in natural light. Indoor sport (under neon lights) does not have the same impact on the biological clock as outdoor sport. By adjusting these few cogs, insomnia is no longer inevitable.
