Needing Good Sleep

Do Older Persons Need More Sleep?

Gretchen Heuring | ElderThink | 03.08.09

It may seem like older people need more sleep since we often nap in the daytime and retire early. Actually, many (perhaps most) of us are sleep-deprived.

Researchers tell us that older people have more trouble sleeping for long periods and are wakened by various kinds of pain, pressure on the bladder, hormone fluctuations, and body temperature. The idea is that older adults are unable to sleep for long periods and so must compensate with naps, making it seem like we need more sleep.

The effect of shorter periods of sleep is the same for old folks as it is for everyone else. We are often irritable, depressed, and suffer from something called "cognitive impairment" which actually means dull-witted. Besides that, we heal more slowly since the body does most of it's healing while asleep.

Tips for going to sleep and staying that way:

Make your bed. A comfortable bed will help you sleep well. Smooth sheets and soft pillows feel good.

Stay warm and snuggly. Our body temperatures drop when we are sleeping. The skin thins as we grow older and we feel cold more keenly. We may not realize we are cold when we wake in the middle of the night, but the availability of another blanket might be just to ticket to dropping off soundly once again.

Keep it dark. We need darkness to sleep well. Light sends signals to our bodies that we should be awake.

Have a bedtime. If you practice going to sleep at the same time every night, you will be responding to your body's natural rhythms and you will sleep better and better.

Drink milk instead of alcohol. Alcohol might make you sleepy but it prevents you from sleeping well. Milk, on the other hand, has properties that help you get a restful sleep.

Count blessings. Think about moments of joy, peace and harmony. Relive them freely. They our ours, after all.

Sleep Difficulties

Older people have more problems with sleep than any other age group. According to the results of a study by the National Institute on Aging, sleep problems among older adults include difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep all night, waking up very early and daytime sleepiness. >>More

Sleep Disorders

There are actually more than fifty kinds of sleep disorders. Most of them can be managed and treated. The most common are Insomnia, Sleep Apnea, Restless Legs Syndrome and Narcolepsy.

Insomnia really just means less good sleep. In older adults often have poor sleep quality. They are more likely to sleep shallowly, wake after a few hours to relieve the bladder, and suffer from depression or chronic pain. >>More

Sleep Apnea is interrupted breathing during sleep. It can be caused by loss of muscle tone, allowing the windpipe to collapse when muscles relax during sleep. The strangling person then wakes just enough to tighten the muscles and open the windpipe. This can happen hundreds of times each night leading to snoring, daytime sleepiness and headache. >>More

John Hopkins Medicine offers a first hand account of exactly how Sleep Apnea is determined. Good read. >>More

Restless Leg Syndrome means that the legs feel uncomfortable and moving around provides the only relief. Often it begins after going to bed for the night but can show up during the daytime too. There is no known cause and the symptoms get worse as we get older. >>More

Narcolepsy is most often described as "falling asleep suddenly in the middle of things." Not all people who suffer from Narcolepsy have this symptom. Sometimes the effect is overwhelming sleepiness or feeling weak in the knees. >>More