The most common sleep problem in the elderly is insomnia, characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early, often linked to medical conditions, medications, poor habits, or circadian rhythm changes. Other frequent issues include sleep apnea (breathing pauses) and Restless Legs Syndrome (uncomfortable urges to move legs).
Factors such as illness, medications, mental health, and pain can make it hard to get a good night's sleep. Sleep disorders become more common with age, including insomnia (trouble falling or staying asleep), sleep apnea (pauses in breathing during sleep), and movement disorders such as restless legs syndrome.
What older adults can do
The panel found that while sleep patterns change with aging, adults 65-years-old and older still need between 7-8 hours of sleep nightly, and ideally over a continuous period of time.
Older people wake up more often because they spend less time in deep sleep. Other causes include needing to get up and urinate (nocturia), anxiety, and discomfort or pain from long-term (chronic) illnesses. Sleep difficulty is an annoying problem.
What Does Sleep Look Like in Older Adults? 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.
Doxepin, melatonin enhancers, and dual orexin receptor antagonists may be relatively safe alternatives to benzodiazepines and Z-drugs (zaleplon, eszopiclone, zolpidem, and others) and have evidence to support their use in older adults.
The Worst Sleep Positions For Seniors: What To Avoid For Better...
The 3-2-1 sleep rule is a simple wind-down routine: stop eating and drinking alcohol 3 hours before bed, stop working/mentally stimulating activities 2 hours before, and turn off screens (phones, TVs) 1 hour before sleep, helping you transition to rest by reducing stimulants and preparing your mind and body. It's often part of a larger 10-3-2-1-0 rule, which also adds no caffeine 10 hours prior and no hitting snooze (0) in the morning.
Best Foods for Sleep
Keep light, noise and the temperature at levels that are comfortable and won't disturb your rest. Don't do activities other than sleeping or sex in your bedroom. This will help your body know this room is for sleeping. Put clocks in your bedroom out of sight.
These include wakefulness at night and problems falling asleep and staying asleep, as well as drowsiness and napping during the day. These sorts of sleep disturbances are associated with many kinds of dementia, most notably Alzheimer's disease.
Many studies have shown exercise can be helpful for people 50-78 to regulate their sleep. Even getting enough sunlight during late afternoon can help, too. Do you have a few drinks before bed or drink a lot of coffee during the day? That can really affect your sleep.
Stimulants like caffeine, high-sugar snacks, or heavy meals before bedtime can disrupt your natural sleep cycle, while certain nutrient-rich foods can support melatonin production and regulate your circadian rhythm.
The 40s and 50s
Both fluctuations can result in lower energy levels, feeling lethargic, and less muscle mass. Again, the 40s and 50s impact people differently, with some noticing fewer effects than others. However, during this stage, people will usually notice they're "getting old".
The unhealthiest sleeping position is generally considered to be sleeping on your stomach (prone position), as it forces your neck to twist and flattens the natural curve of your spine, leading to neck, back, and shoulder pain, numbness, and poor sleep quality. An overly curled fetal position is also harmful, causing joint stiffness and restricted breathing, while sleeping on your back can worsen snoring and sleep apnea for some individuals.
Bed rail alternatives focus on preventing falls or aiding transfers, including low beds (floor beds), transfer aids (poles, trapeze bars, bed ladders for repositioning), positioning aids (wedges, foam bumpers, concave mattresses), and monitoring devices (alarms). The best choice depends on the user's needs, often involving low-profile designs, assistive handles, or fall-detection technology instead of traditional rails that can pose entrapment risks.
Caffeine-rich Foods and Drinks
This can keep seniors awake well past their usual bedtime. Although we often associate caffeine with coffee or tea, other foods, and drinks, such as chocolate, some over-the-counter medicines, and even certain kinds of cereal, can still pack a caffeine punch.
Daridorexant is one of a relatively new class of drugs that have been developed for the treatment of insomnia. Its mechanism of action differs from many of the older insomnia treatments. Studies have shown that it can help people to fall asleep faster at night and stay asleep longer during the night.
Strategies for Improving Sleep in Older Adults
Those rhythms shift forward as you age, making you ready to go to bed and wake up earlier. Age also affects your sleep architecture — how you move through the stages of sleep. Older adults tend to spend less time in deep sleep and more time in lighter stages of sleep. As a result you may wake up more often.
The 10-3-2-1-0 rule is a popular sleep hygiene guideline that creates a countdown for winding down before bed, advising: 10 hours without caffeine, 3 hours without big meals or alcohol, 2 hours without work or stressful activities, 1 hour without screens (phones, TV, computers), and aiming for 0 snoozes in the morning, promoting better sleep quality by reducing stimulants and preparing the body and mind for rest.
Best survival rates were found among those who slept seven hours a night. A group sleeping eight hours was 12% more likely to die within the six year period than those sleeping seven hours, other factors being equal. Even those with as little as five hours lived longer than those with eight hours or more nightly.