{"id":4386,"date":"2025-09-29T20:14:57","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T20:14:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sawahsolutions.com\/aging\/health\/why-aging-affects-sleep-and-what-to-do-about-it\/"},"modified":"2025-09-29T20:14:58","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T20:14:58","slug":"why-aging-affects-sleep-and-what-to-do-about-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sawahsolutions.com\/aging\/health\/why-aging-affects-sleep-and-what-to-do-about-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Aging Affects Sleep and What To Do About It"},"content":{"rendered":"

As we age, changes in our bodies, medications and health conditions can make it harder to sleep well but that doesn’t mean sleep is any less important<\/p>\n

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You’ve probably heard that older adults tend to sleep less than younger people. But contrary to popular belief, that’s not because you need<\/em> less sleep as you get older \u2013 it just becomes harder to come by, says Neda Najimi, MD, a neurologist and sleep medicine specialist at Kaiser Permanente in Maryland.<\/p>\n

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Power naps are OK but napping for too long or too late could interfere with your sleep at night.\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Credit: miodrag ignjatovic<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sleep requirements vary between individuals, but most adults (of all ages) need at least seven hours a night, according to the Mayo Clinic. The reason so many people believe otherwise is that, as we get older, sleep tends to get lighter and more disrupted, Najimi says.<\/p>\n

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“The key thing to understand is that there’s a big difference between needing sleep and being able to get it.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“Many older adults wake up more during the night or find it harder to fall back asleep, so they end up getting less rest, but it’s not because their bodies need less,” Najimi says. “The key thing to understand is that there’s a big difference between needing sleep and being able to get it.”<\/p>\n

As we age, changes in our bodies, medications and health conditions can make it harder to sleep well, but that doesn’t mean sleep is any less important, Najimi continues. In fact, she says getting good sleep is crucial for memory, mood, heart health and maintaining independence, among other things.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Why Aging Affects Sleep <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

“Instead of accepting poor sleep as ‘just part of aging,’ we should recognize it as a health issue worth addressing and something that can often be improved,” Najimi says. Read on to find out why sleep changes with age and what you can do about it.<\/p>\n

Multiple factors contribute to age-related sleep problems, including health conditions and natural bodily changes.<\/p>\n

Circadian Rhythm Changes <\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

As we age, our internal clock \u2013 called the circadian rhythm \u2013 tends to shift earlier, so you might feel tired earlier in the evening and wake up earlier in the morning, says Raj Dasgupta, MD, director of the Internal Medicine residency program at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles and chief medical advisor for Sleepopolis. “It’s kind of like being on a permanent version of jet lag,” Dasgupta says. “This shift can make it harder to stay asleep through the night or feel rested if you’re waking up at 4 or 5 a.m. before you really want to.”<\/p>\n

This phenomenon, known as “phase advance,” occurs because the part of the brain that helps control our daily rhythms \u2014 the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) \u2014 becomes less sensitive with age, Najimi explains. “On top of that, older adults often get less natural light during the day and their bodies produce less melatonin, the hormone that helps signal when it’s time to sleep,” Najimi says. “All of this can throw off the natural timing of sleep.”<\/p>\n

Health Conditions <\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

Various health conditions \u2014 some of which become more prevalent with age \u2014 can also affect sleep. According to the Sleep Foundation, common culprits include:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n