Mike Thompson
Local Columnist
In six weeks I’ll be 70 feet underwater off Roatan, and the most important training I’m doing isn’t happening in the pool. It’s happening in my bed.
That sounds backwards to most people over 50 who’ve been sold the ‘no pain, no gain’ gospel. But the latest research tells a different story: for next day energy and recovery— especially in bodies like mine that have logged a few decades—quality sleep beats hard workouts by a mile. I’m learning this firsthand as I prep to teach extra aqua aerobics classes while ramping up swim training with fins that are currently destroying my legs.
Most adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep, but this time of year many of us are limping along on five and a half, a strong cup of coffee, and the faint hope that our team will finally fix its defense.
That bargain looks especially bad once you see what chronic short sleep does to your heart, brain, and adventure plans.
Why we’re so sleep-poor now
Several forces gang up on sleep in December: late-night sports and holiday TV push bedtimes later while stress hormones stay high. Screens cut 20–25 minutes of sleep and raise insomnia risk. Holiday chaos—extra events, travel, money worries— makes it harder to wind down.
Evening coffee, cocktails, and heavy meals fragment sleep. And problems like sleep apnea quietly steal quality sleep, especially after 50. The season is basically one big booby trap for your circadian rhythm.
What short sleep does to your health When sleep drops under 6 hours nightly for months, the health math turns ugly. Chronic short sleep raises risks of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. It triggers weight gain and sugar cravings. It increases depression, anxiety, memory problems, and dementia risk.
That’s not ‘grumpy in the morning’—that’s compounding interest in the wrong direction.
Sleep is also a relationship tool. Short sleepers report more conflict and worse work performance. When one partner is sleep-deprived, both partners suffer, and minor annoyances become full-contact arguments. For your third half of life, sleep protects the brain circuits you rely on for wisdom and impulse control.
Holiday screen traps (and how to escape) A few practical fixes: Circle one or two mustwatch games weekly and protect other nights. Create a 30-minute ‘glide path’ after screens end—stretching, prayer, meditation, or reading under dimmer light. Charge your phone away from the bed. Cut caffeine 6+ hours before bed and go lighter on evening alcohol.
A simple holiday sleep upgrade You don’t have to sleep like a monk to reap the benefits. Most adults feel and function far better nudging sleep toward 7 hours with reasonably steady bedtimes, even amidst December chaos. That extra hour pays off in better blood pressure, sharper thinking, steadier mood, stronger immunity, and likely longer life.
Think of it as ‘nutritional wealth’ for your nervous system. My Roatan dive will be sweeter because I’m not running on fumes, and my training partners are grateful I’m prioritizing recovery over one more late-night scroll.
(Want to master sleep, stress, and recovery this season? Download my free guide ‘The Third Half Sleep Protocol: How Professionals Over 50 Recover Like Athletes’ at SelfCareSustained. com—practical strategies that work with your real life, not against it.)
- Mike Thompson, Certified Health and Nutrition Coach and Sleep, Stress & Recovery Specialist, is ‘The Third Half Architect’ helping professionals over 50 prepare their bodies for adventure, not maintenance. Read his Nutritional Wealth column weekly in the Bryan County News and connect at SelfCareSustained. com.