Paying more attention to sleep when we're younger may be a key to slowing the aging process. The research appears in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association.

As we age, a good night's sleep becomes more of a dream than a reality.

--Edward Cohen, Sleep Study Volunteer says, "Over the years, my sleep has become less continuous, less deep and more interrupted."--

Researchers are beginning to link changes in sleep quality as we age with changes in certain hormones, including growth hormone. By studying the sleep patterns of nearly 150 men between 16 and 83, University of Chicago researchers discovered that the sharp decline in growth hormone that occurs from young adulthood to middle age may to be linked to the loss of deep sleep.

---Dr. Eve Van Cauter, Researcher says, "A young healthy man will have 100 minutes of deep sleep in a normal 8 hour night. A 45-year-old man may have 15 minutes, or even 10 or 5 minutes."---

The study also found a link between an increase in levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, and the decline in REM, or dream sleep, which begins around age 50. High cortisol levels are associated with obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and memory loss. Researchers believe improving sleep when we're younger, might delay the aging process.

---Dr. Eve Van Cauter, Researcher says, "You hear a lot about how exercise will keep you healthy into old age. You hear a lot about good nutrition. People take vitamins. And then, they sleep poorly. 4, 5, 6 hours a night. They don't meet their sleep need, and that's very counterproductive."---

The next step is to look at the relationship between sleep and hormones, in women.