ANCSLEEP BLOG

How Sleep Patterns Change as you Age

Posted by Tyler Britton on Oct 18, 2021 3:09:00 PM

Sleep changes as we age

As an adult, you should be averaging 7-9 hours of sleep every day.  These figures are extensively researched and you should be dubious when someone says that they can do fine with 5 hours of sleep.

The key word here is 7-9 hours every day, not necessarily at night. People who sleep 4-5 hours at night will need to supplement their sleep with naps in order to get their necessary sleep. When you are younger, you likely had little trouble getting at least 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night. But your sleep pattern changes as you age, and after 65 years of age the idea of getting 7 straight hours of sleep may sound impossible.

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Topics: Sleep and Age

Conditions that Affect Sleep as We Get Older

Posted by Tyler Britton on Jul 23, 2021 2:00:00 PM

What Happens to Sleep As We Age?

As an adult, you should be averaging between 7-9 hours of sleep every day.  This doesn't necessarily mean at night, but just throughout the day. People who sleep 4-5 hours at night will need to supplement their sleep with naps in order to get their necessary sleep. Getting the requisite 7 hours becomes more difficult with age. If you are over 65 years old and having trouble sleeping, it may be because your sleep pattern changes as you age, and after 65 years of age, getting 7 straight hours of sleep may seem extremely difficult.

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Topics: Sleep and Age

Sleep Disorders You May Have To Deal With As You Age

Posted by Tyler Britton on Jul 20, 2021 1:59:00 PM

Getting Older Often Means More Sleep Problems

As you get older, the likelihood that you will develop or report trouble sleeping will increase the older you get. This is because as you age, your sleep patterns will change, requiring you to acquire sleep differently than you did at a younger age. Generally speaking, as you get older your sleep pattern changes in the following ways:

  • You will likely sleep less than 7 hours at night
  • Your sleep may feel less restful during the night
  • You may be more inclined to nap
  • The times that you go to bed and wake up will also likely change

As an adult, you should be averaging between 7-9 hours of sleep every day.  These figures are extensively researched and you should be dubious when someone says that they can do fine with 5 hours of sleep. The key work here is 7-9 hours per day, not just per night.

When you are younger, you likely had little trouble getting 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night. But as your sleep pattern changes as you age, getting 7-9 hours of sleep, or even 5 to 6 hours, in one continuous shot may seem impossible.

While your sleeping patterns might change, your need for getting a certain amount of sleep won’t. So to get a full 7-9 hours of sleep, you might start to supplement your nightly 4-5 hours of sleep with a long nap or two during the day. Another option is to have two long periods of sleep at night with a break of several wakeful hours in the middle of the night. The point is that you will have to be more conscious of when and how you get your sleep.

These sleep changes happen for life reasons (stress, children, jobs), hormonal changes, and natural physiological changes that make you more susceptible to certain sleep disorders. Let’s look at some of the sleep disorders that are more common in older adults.

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Topics: Sleep and Age

How Sleep Patterns Change as you Age

Posted by Tyler Britton on Dec 8, 2020 8:00:00 AM

What are the changes to sleep as we age?

As an adult, you should be averaging between 7-9 hours of sleep every day. These figures are extensively researched and you should be dubious when someone says that they can do fine with 5 hours of sleep.

The keyword here is 7-9 hours every day, not necessarily at night. People who sleep 4-5 hours at night will need to supplement their sleep with naps in order to get the necessary sleep. When you are younger, you likely had little trouble getting at least 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night. But your sleep pattern changes as you age, and after 65 years of age, the idea of getting 7 straight hours of sleep may sound impossible.

Generally speaking, as you get older, your sleep pattern changes in the following ways:

  • You will likely sleep less than 7 hours at night
  • Your sleep may feel less restful during the night
  • You may be more inclined to nap
  • The times that you go to bed and wake up will also likely change

While your pattern might change, your need for getting a certain amount of sleep won’t change. These changes happen for life reasons (stress, children, jobs), hormonal changes, and natural physiological changes that make you more susceptible to certain sleep disorders.

Read More
Topics: Sleep and Age

Conditions that Affect Sleep as We Get Older

Posted by Tyler Britton on Sep 9, 2019 9:00:00 AM

What Happens to Sleep As We Age?

As an adult, you should be averaging between 7-9 hours of sleep every day. This is extensively researched and claims of success with less than 7 hours of sleep should be taken with a grain of salt.

Although 7-9 hours a day is recommended, these hours don't necessarily have to happen at night or all at once. People who sleep 4-5 hours at night will need to supplement their sleep with naps in order to get their necessary hours of sleep. When you are younger, you likely had little to no trouble getting at least 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night. But your sleep pattern changes as you age, and after 65 years of age, getting 7 straight hours of sleep may seem impossible.

Generally speaking, as one gets older, their sleep pattern changes in the following ways:

  • They will likely sleep less than 7 hours at night
  • Their sleep may feel less restful during the night
  • They may be more inclined to nap
  • The times that they go to bed and wake up will also likely change

While sleep patterns might change, the need to get a certain amount of sleep won’t change. These changes happen for life reasons (stress, children, jobs), hormonal changes, and natural physiological changes that makes one more susceptible to certain sleep disorders.

Read More
Topics: Sleep and Age

Sleep Disorders You May Have To Deal With As You Age

Posted by Tyler Britton on Sep 1, 2019 9:31:00 AM

Getting Older Often Means More Sleep Problems

As you get older, the likelihood that you will develop or report sleeping issues will increase with age. This is because sleep patterns will change over time, requiring you to adapt in order to acquire adequate sleep. Examples of these changes include:

  • You will likely sleep less than 7 hours at night
  • Your sleep may feel less restful during the night
  • You may be more inclined to nap
  • The times that you go to bed and wake up will also likely change

As an adult, you should average 7-9 hours of sleep every day. However, these hours do not have to be continuous.

Younger individuals often have less challenges with sleeping throughout the night uninterrupted. But as sleep patterns change with age, getting the same amount of uninterrupted sleep may seem impossible.

Regardless, it's still vital for the body to obtain 7-9 hours of sleep. To obtain this, even with shorter sleeping periods at night, older adults often have to supplement their nightly sleep with long, daily naps, or separate their sleep into two long sessions with a break of wakefulness. The method in which one acquires this sleep is irrelevant, but what is important, is that getting the requisite amount of sleep is a conscious effort that requires intention and planning. 

The causes of the changes are multifactorial - stress, family, job changes, hormones, nature - and can make one more susceptible to certain sleep disorders. Let’s look at some of the sleep disorders that are more common in older people.

Read More
Topics: Sleep and Age

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