When the cold, dark winter comes, some of us envy the animals that can hibernate. This long, deep rest is an example of how nature develops intelligent solutions to difficult problems. In this case, how to survive a long, cold, dark time without much food or water.
But hibernation is more closely linked to human history than one might think. A 1900 British Medical Journal article describes a strange, sleepy human hibernating human named “lotska” which was common among farmers in Pskov, Russia. In this area food was so scarce in winter that the problem was solved by sleeping in the dark season.
The strange connection between animal sleep and aging
Once a day people got up to eat a piece of bread and drink a glass of water. After a simple meal they fell asleep again and the family members took turns keeping the fire alive. There are also descriptions in Greenlandic stories a prolonged hibernation-like sleep during the long, dark winter months.
This is the case in some parts of Greenland dark from November to the end of January. A 2020 study suggests that humans' ancient ancestors, called hominids, may have been hibernating 400,000 years ago. Bones discovered in a cave in Spain show a seasonal cessation of growth, suggesting this One of humanity's predecessors could have used the same strategy as cave bears to survive the long winters.
Animals and hibernation
The Hibernation is deeper and more complex than normal sleep and involves dramatic changes in metabolism. This long period of rest combines several associated conditions Longevity, reduced calorie intake, low temperature body and slow metabolism. Animals that hibernate they tend to live longer compared to other species of the same size.
Other recent studies using epigenetic clocks that map activity within genes over time suggest that hibernation does occur slows down aging in marmots and bats. Hibernation can therefore contain important information about how aging processes can be slowed down.
There are different forms of aging: chronological and biological age. In reality, chronological age just refers to how many revolutions the Earth has made around the Sun since we were born. It is not time itself It ages us, but “wear and tear.”
Biological age measures wear and tear. It is a more comprehensive and personal measure of health than chronological age and a better indicator of longevity. This was the result of a study from 2023 Biological age varies and that a temporary increase, for example during surgery or a period of stress, reverses after recovery.
The diseases of “wear and tear”
Lifestyle-related diseases that increase with age, such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, dementia and chronic kidney disease, are caused by “wear and tear.” This is the result Inflammation, altered gut microbiota composition and increased oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress occurs when there are too many free radicals (unstable atoms that damage cells) in your body. The new science is based on epigenetic clocks and Lessons from hibernating animals could help us treat patients suffering from diseases caused by “wear and tear.”
The strange connection between animal sleep and aging
We could use drugs that can slow aging. For example, metformin is the main first-line drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. It regulates inflammation, insulin sensitivity and slows DNA damage caused by oxidative stress.
There is growing evidence that it may help control other “wasting” diseases such as cardiovascular disease, and that long-term use of the drug may be associated with this less cognitive impairment. Learning more about hibernation may help human medicine treat it traumatic brain injuries, severe blood loss, preservation of muscle and bone mass and to ensure better protection during organ transplants.
This was the result of a study from 2018 Mimic hibernation conditions for storing kidney transplants from deceased donors appeared to improve their preservation. Skeletal muscle degeneration is often determined by genes, but these genes appeared to be it disabled bears in hibernation.
Animals and longevity
Also We can learn from long-lived animals that do not hibernate, such as the Greenland shark, the naked mole rat, the Icelandic mussel and the rough-eyed rockfish [Sebastes aleutianus]. These species have evolved higher mechanisms that protect you from aging.
It seems that protection against inflammation, oxidative stress and protein changes The changes that occur with age are mechanisms that generally benefit all long-lived animals. Genetic studies of rockfish can live more than 200 yearssuggest that a group of foods called flavonoids is linked to longevity.
Citrus fruits, berries, onions, apples and parsley are rich in flavonoids anti-inflammatory properties and protect against organ damageB. caused by chemicals or aging. The 2023 study of rockfish found that a number of their genes that could be related to longevity are linked to the rockfish Flavonoid metabolism.
What to eat
So perhaps a long-lived fish can teach us something about what we should eat to live longer. The Lessons from nature and hibernating animals show us that maintaining cells is importantMetabolic regulation and genetic adaptations play a key role in longevity.
Our lifestyle and eating habits are our best tools for replicating some of these mechanisms. There's still a lot we don't understand about hibernation, but this is what we do know Normal sleep is also related to this with longevity.
The strange connection between animal sleep and aging
This was shown, for example, by a study from March 2023 With good sleep, you can extend a man's life by five years and two and a half years if you are a woman. The researchers defined good sleep quality as Sleep seven to eight hours a daydo not need sleeping pills and wake up feeling rested at least five days a week.
Animals vary widely in their sleep patterns, from bears and marmots, which hibernate for eight months of the year, to elephants, which only sleep two hours a day. As Elephants can live so long if they sleep so little remains a mystery to scientists. Discovering how nature managed these extremes can help scientists gain new insights Ways to improve human health.
