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Cited by 773Sleep and Wakefulness ResearchSleep and related disordersCircadian rhythm and melatonin

Age-Related Changes in Slow Wave Sleep and REM Sleep and Relationship With Growth Hormone and Cortisol Levels in Healthy Men

Van Cauter, Eve·2000·JAMA
DOI 10.1001/jama.284.7.861
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Abstract

CONTEXT: In young adults, sleep affects the regulation of growth hormone (GH) and cortisol. The relationship between decreased sleep quality in older adults and age-related changes in the regulation of GH and cortisol is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine the chronology of age-related changes in sleep duration and quality (sleep stages) in healthy men and whether concomitant alterations occur in GH and cortisol levels. DESIGN AND SETTING: Data combined from a series of studies conducted between 1985 and 1999 at 4 laboratories. SUBJECTS: A total of 149 healthy men, aged 16 to 83 years, with a mean (SD) body mass index of 24.1 (2.3) kg/m( 2), without sleep complaints or histories of endocrine, psychiatric, or sleep disorders. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Twenty-four-hour profiles of plasma GH and cortisol levels and polygraphic sleep recordings. RESULTS: The mean (SEM) percentage of deep slow wave sleep decreased from 18.9% (1.3%) during early adulthood (age 16-25 years) to 3.4% (1.0%) during midlife (age 36-50 years) and was replaced by lighter sleep (stages 1 and 2) without significant increases in sleep fragmentation or decreases in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The transition from midlife to late life (age 71-83 years) involved no further significant decrease in slow wave sleep but an increase in time awake of 28 minutes per decade at the expense of decreases in both light non-REM sleep (-24 minutes per decade; P<.001) and REM sleep (-10 minutes per decade; P<.001). The decline in slow wave sleep from early adulthood to midlife was paralleled by a major decline in GH secretion (-372 microg per decade; P<.001). From midlife to late life, GH secretion further declined at a slower rate (-43 microg per decade; P<.02). Independently of age, the amount of GH secretion was significantly associated with slow wave sleep (P<.001). Increasing age was associated with an elevation of evening cortisol levels (+19. 3 nmol/L per decade; P<.001) that became significant only after age 50 years, when sleep became more fragmented and REM sleep declined. A trend for an association between lower amounts of REM sleep and higher evening cortisol concentrations independent of age was detected (P<.10). CONCLUSIONS: In men, age-related changes in slow wave sleep and REM sleep occur with markedly different chronologies and are each associated with specific hormonal alterations. Future studies should evaluate whether strategies to enhance sleep quality may have beneficial hormonal effects. JAMA. 2000;284:861-868

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  • Age-related changes are associated with a dysregulation of the circadian rhythm of the HPA axis, further leading to sleep problems.

    “age-related changes are associated with a dysregulation of the circadian rhythm of the HPA axis (Al-Turk and Al-Dujaili, 2016;Heaney et al., 2012), further leading to sleep problems (Van Cauter et al., 2000).”

    From The effects of physical activity on cortisol and sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis. (2022) · cites this paper as Van Cauter et al., 2000

  • A decrease in the amount of REM sleep occurs in synchrony with an elevation of evening cortisol levels.

    “it was observed that a decrease in the amount of REM sleep (stable and unchanged until 50 years of age, decreased by approximately 50% in late life compared with young adulthood) occurred in synchrony with an elevation of evening cortisol levels.”

    From Impact of Sleep and Its Disturbances on Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Activity (2010) · cites this paper as [49]

  • There is a trend for an association between lower amounts of REM sleep and higher evening cortisol concentrations, independently of age.

    “A trend for an association between lower amounts of REM sleep and higher evening cortisol concentrations, independently of age, was also detected [49].”

    From Impact of Sleep and Its Disturbances on Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Activity (2010) · cites this paper as [49]

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Authors
Van Cauter, E.
Venue
JAMA
Publisher
American Medical Association (AMA)
Published
2000-08-16
Volume
284
Issue
7
Pages
861
ISSN
  • 0002-9955 (ISSN-L)
  • 0098-7484
DOI
10.1001/jama.284.7.861
OpenAlex
W2035490031
Semantic Scholar
7e085c801202adf0cc333fa840264be285802ae2
Cited by
773
References
52
Citations by year
2026: 25 · 2025: 31 · 2024: 35 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 51 · 2020: 40 · 2019: 35 · 2018: 36 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 35 · 2015: 33 · 2014: 31 · 2013: 33 · 2012: 38
FWCI
10.15
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • JAMA (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Dépôt institutionnel de l'Université libre de Bruxelles (Université Libre de Bruxelles) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute on Aging (P01AG011412, AG-11412)
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (DK-41814, R01DK041814)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Sleep and Wakefulness Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Circadian rhythm and melatonin
Keywords
age-related sleep changes, slow-wave sleep, REM sleep, growth hormone secretion, cortisol, sleep stages, sleep fragmentation, aging, men, sleep quality, circadian rhythm, NREM sleep, healthy men, polygraphic sleep recording, plasma hormone levels
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Analysis of Variance, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Male, Middle Aged, Sleep, Sleep, REM, Body Mass Index, Polysomnography, Human Growth Hormone

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