How to cultivate healthy sleep habits as we age

Blog How to cultivate healthy sleep habits as we age

Healthy sleep is central to maintaining health and quality of life for older adults. Although sleep changes across the lifespan, poor sleep is not an inevitable part of ageing. Understanding our sleep and what changes are normal can help us build healthy sleep habits.

How does sleep change as we age?

Some changes in sleep are a normal part of ageing. As we get older, the body’s sleep regulation systems become slightly less effective. We tend to build up less sleepiness across the day, and the signal from our internal body clock, which drives daily sleep and wake cycles, becomes less robust.

However, most large changes in sleep occur earlier in life, and after the age of about 60, shifts tend to be more gradual and modest. Normal changes to sleep that you may notice as you age include:

Night-time sleep may become shorter. Older adults may sleep slightly less than they did in middle age. Most people aged 65 and over still need around 7-8 hours of sleep per night, although individual needs vary.
Sleep timing shifts earlier. Many older adults feel sleepy earlier in the evening, go to bed earlier, and wake earlier.
Sleep becomes more fragmented. Brief awakenings during the night become more common with age, so sleep may feel less consolidated.
Sleep structure changes. Older adults spend less time in deep slow-wave sleep, and more time in lighter stages of sleep.
Sleep patterns change. Daytime napping becomes more common, so the pattern of sleep across the day changes.
Sleeping ‘out-of-sync’ becomes harder. As we age, it can become more difficult to adjust to changing sleep schedules such as those required for shift work or travel across time zones.

These changes are an expected part of ageing, but it should still be possible to achieve satisfying sleep. However, persistent sleep difficulties, loud snoring, restless legs, or excessive daytime sleepiness are not typical sleep changes that come with ageing and should be discussed with a healthcare professional.

Your health can affect sleep

Certain health conditions can have a greater impact on sleep than ageing itself. Conditions such as chronic pain, arthritis, or cardiovascular disease become more common in later life and can interfere with sleep, while some medications can affect sleep quality too.

Older adults are also at increased risk of sleep disorders such as insomnia, obstructive sleep apnoea, and restless legs syndrome. Major life changes, such as retirement, caregiving responsibilities, reduced mobility, or moving into residential care can also affect daily routines, physical activity levels, and opportunities for social engagement, all of which help to support sleep.

Supporting sleep as we age

Along with physical activity and good nutrition, sleep is one of the foundations of healthy ageing. Sleep supports memory, learning, mood, and overall brain function across the lifespan. Researchers are still working to understand the relationship between sleep and brain health in older adults, but we do know that problems with sleep are associated with more challenges with thinking and memory, and addressing sleep problems can be beneficial.

Because the sleep systems in our brain and body become less robust as we age, older adults may benefit from paying a little more attention to sleep habits and routines. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach, the following strategies can help support healthy sleep:

Get some daylight. Natural light is one of the strongest signals to our body clock. Age-related changes in mobility, daily activities and our eyes can mean that older adults need to make outdoor time in daylight a priority.

Stay active. Combining time outdoors with regular physical activity helps to build tiredness by bedtime and also has benefits for mood, mobility, and physical health.

Keep it regular. Going to bed and waking up at similar times each day helps reinforce the body’s sleep-wake rhythm. Retirement can result in a more flexible schedule, so maintaining a regular bedtime and wake time becomes even more important.

Manage health conditions. Work with your health professional to manage any health conditions, pain, sleep disorders or medications that may be affecting your sleep. Seek help if you regularly have difficulty falling or staying asleep, snore loudly, or feel very sleepy during the day.

While some changes in sleep are a normal part of ageing, healthy sleep remains both achievable and important throughout later life, and small changes to daily habits can make a meaningful difference.

Sources

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