Hormones: As we age, our bodies secrete less of two important sleep hormones: melatonin and growth hormone. Melatonin is important because changes in the level of this hormone control our sleep cycle. With less melatonin, many older adults feel sleepy in the early evening and wake up in the early morning.
As we get older, our circadian rhythms shift such that we get sleepier earlier in the evening (perhaps at 7-8 PM, or 19-20h) and we wake up 7-8 hours later, which is a bit too early in the morning (3-4 AM). This is a normal change. But many older people don't want to go to bed earlier even though they are tired.
According to their internal body clock, most older adults need to go to sleep around 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. and wake up at 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. Many people fight their natural inclination to sleep and choose to go to bed several hours later instead.
As we age, our circadian rhythms — the internal “clock” that coordinates the timing of our bodily functions, including sleep — change. That's why older adults tend to become sleepier in the early evening and wake earlier in the morning compared to younger adults.
Excessive daytime sleepiness in older adults may be a symptom of health issues like sleep apnea, cognitive impairment, or cardiovascular issues. Sleep Apnea: Obstructive sleep apnea can cause pauses in breathing during sleep. These pauses are related to the upper airway collapsing or narrowing.
Sleep and Aging
Older adults need about the same amount of sleep as all adults—7 to 9 hours each night. But, older people tend to go to sleep earlier and get up earlier than they did when they were younger. There are many reasons why older people may not get enough sleep at night.
Compared with younger adults, the elderly spend more time in bed but have deterioration in both the quality and quantity of sleep. All of these changes can lead to excessive daytime sleepiness, which in turn can lead to intentional and unintentional napping.
However, most people start experiencing a decline in their energy levels by the time they reach their mid-thirties. And this decline in energy levels can be attributed to various factors, including changes in metabolism, hormonal changes, and lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, and stress.
Sleep need gets less with age until around 20 years old when it stabilises. How much and how fast this happens depends on the person. It is normal for children to have daytime naps until 3 to 5 years old.
The same gender difference in deep sleep is sustained for those in their golden years. Women ages 70 and older can still get an adequate amount of stage 3 sleep (15 percent of the night), whereas men of the same age often only achieve a cycle of deep sleep about 5 percent of the night.
Traditionally, the “elderly” are considered to be those persons age 65 and older.
If your school or work schedule requires you to be up between 5:00 and 7:00 a.m., these are the suggested bedtimes: School-age children should go to bed between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. Teens should try to go to bed between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m. Adults should try to go to sleep between 10:00 and 11:00 p.m.
Sleep Changes in Older Adults. Most healthy older adults aged 65 or older need 7-8 hours of sleep each night to feel rested and alert.
Boredom, depression, chronic pain and/or nutritional deficiencies can be some of the underlying causes that account for excessive daytime sleeping. Medications can also be a problem.
As we get older endurance can decline— and you can tire more quickly — but ongoing fatigue is not a natural part of aging. If you feel tired for weeks at a time and don't feel refreshed after a good night's sleep, it may be worth a conversation with your doctor to get to the root of the issue.
The Best Time to Sleep Is Between 8 p.m. and Midnight
It's been proven that optimal restorative sleep is achieved when we go to bed in the evening but not too late — specifically between 8 p.m. and midnight.
Poor sleep habits such as irregular sleep-wake times and daytime napping may contribute to insomnia. Caffeine, alcohol and some medications can also interfere with sleep. Primary sleep disorders are more common in the elderly than in younger persons.
The biggest benefit of napping for older adults may be its effect on memory and cognitive function. Studies have shown that even in young, healthy adults, their ability to remember word pairs on a memory test is diminished when they've gotten only five hours of sleep the night before.
Chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, thyroid disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Untreated pain and diseases like fibromyalgia. Anemia. Sleep apnea and other sleep disorders.
For example, the preliminary TEE results - and therefore energy requirements - of 70 to 79 year-old people in a United States study on health, ageing and body composition (Blanc et al., 2001) were 10.1 ± 1.8 MJ/day for men, and 8.0 ± 1.5 MJ/day for women.
Some sleep experts suggest that seniors actually need less sleep than other age groups. Most people need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep whereas many seniors can get away with 7.5 hours. Other experts believe that seniors need just as much sleep as the rest of the population.
This position can also signal emotional and physical dependence on your partner. Holding hands while sleeping is common for couples with strong relationships. They hold their sweetheart's hand to show their partner that they will always be by their side. The relationship is so strong that their trust is unbreakable.
Could a sudden increased need for naps indicate a health problem? If you're experiencing an increased need for naps and there's no obvious cause of new fatigue in your life, talk to your doctor. You could be taking a medication or have a sleep disorder or other medical condition that's disrupting your nighttime sleep.