Q: Do older adults need the same amount of sleep as younger adults? How does aging affect one’s sleep?
A: The need for sleep stays fairly constant over the course of a person’s lifespan. Unlike children who need more sleep relative to adults, seven to eight hours of sleep nightly is what most adults need to maintain normal physiologic function. The amount of sleep needed is similar for younger and older adults with a few small differences.
Specifically, the percentages we spend in any one particular stage of sleep will be different from young adults versus older adults. Stages of sleep are generally divided into NREM (non-rapid eye movement) and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. A typical adult cycles between NREM and REM every 90-110 minutes. REM sleep is the stage of sleep when we dream. And NREM sleep is further divided into N1 and N2, which are lighter stages of sleep, and N3 sleep, which is considered deep sleep.
Compared to younger adults, older adults spend more time in lighter stages of sleep and less in the deeper stages. Older adults may also have more periods of arousal or wakefulness after they fall asleep compared to the younger adult population. But the total sleep time should be fairly similar between the young adult and the older adult.
Dr. Chad Paxson is a sleep specialist with CHI Memorial Regional Sleep Center and a member of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society
Dr. Chad Paxson