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.
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.
Younger people wake up at 8:17 a.m. while the older population gets up at 7:25 a.m. The 55–59 age class rise the earliest at 7:08 a.m. The biggest sleepers are younger with an average of 7 hours and 26 minutes of sleep per night while 45–59 years old sleep the least (7 hours and two minutes on average).
While sleep requirements vary slightly from person to person, most healthy adults need seven to nine hours of sleep per night to function at their best. Children and teens need even more. And despite the notion that our sleep needs decrease with age, most older people still need at least seven hours of sleep.
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.
0-2 years old: should go to sleep between 8:00 and 9:00 pm. 3-5 years old: should go to sleep between 7:00 and 8:00 pm. 6-12 years old: should go to sleep between 7:30 and 8:30 pm. 13-18 years old: should go to sleep around 10:00 pm.
Sleep patterns tend to change as you age. Most people find that aging causes them to have a harder time falling asleep. They wake up more often during the night and earlier in the morning. Total sleep time stays the same or is slightly decreased (6.5 to 7 hours per night).
Contrary to popular opinion, older people don't need less sleep than the average person. In fact, adults require about the same amount of sleep from their 20s into old age, although the number of hours per night varies from person to person.
While a 30- to 90-minute nap in older adults appears to have brain benefits, anything longer than an hour and a half may create problems with cognition, the ability to think and form memories, according to the study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Interestingly, older adults need about the same amount of sleep as younger adults — seven or more hours of sleep per night.
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.
Older adults require seven to eight hours of sleep per 24-hour period. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers less than seven hours per night to be short sleep. View Source , which means for most people, six hours of sleep is not enough.
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.
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.
Results show that the faces of sleep-deprived individuals were perceived as having more hanging eyelids, redder eyes, more swollen eyes and darker circles under the eyes. Sleep deprivation also was associated with paler skin, more wrinkles or fine lines, and more droopy corners of the mouth.
Here's a breakdown of the recommendations for each age group: adults 65 and up: 7 to 8 hours. adults 26 to 64: 7 to 9 hours. adults 18 to 25: 7 to 9 hours.
Take a warm bath.
It can also help you relax and slow down, so you're more ready to go to bed. Take time to calm down before you turn out the lights. Turn off your electronic devices and TV an hour before bed.
Changes in production of hormones, such as melatonin and cortisol, may also play a role in disrupted sleep in older adults. As people age, the body secretes less melatonin, which is normally produced in response to darkness and helps promote sleep by coordinating circadian rhythms.
For most of us, five hours of sleep is not OK. Most adults need about eight hours of sleep. And while some people need five hours, it's extremely rare. For most of us, five hours of sleep can lead to sleep deprivation, low energy, poor focus, and long-term health issues.
There are many reasons why you might be waking up too early. They include external factors, such as environmental disturbances like temperature, light, and noise. They also include internal factors, like your circadian rhythm, sleep disorders like sleep apnea, and/or medical issues, like heartburn.
Find your child's “sleep sweet spot”, then stick to it – for babies younger than 12 weeks, bedtime should be around 9PM to 10PM. Babies older than 12 weeks do best with bedtime around 7PM to 8PM.
“Getting to bed around 9.30-10pm is optimal and it is one of the non-negotiables in my sleep protocol,” says sleep expert Dr Nerina Ramlakhan. When we are well rested, our anxiety reduces, mental focus improves, and exercise feels easier.
Research suggests the ideal time to go to sleep is 10 p.m. But you should focus more on having a consistent schedule and routine when it comes to hitting the hay.