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Is Sleeping Less a Normal Part of Growing Older?

Most healthy adults need not worry about getting less sleep at night as they age. A new study shows that during a standard night of eight hours in bed the amount of time spent actually sleeping decreases progressively as one ages. Healthy older adults sleep about 20 minutes less than middle-aged adults, who sleep 23 minutes less than young adults.

The research results suggest that healthy older adults, devoid sleep disorders such as Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) or Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD), should expect to sleep somewhat less during the night without daytime drowsiness.

The study's sample population involved 110 healthy adults without sleep complaints. Each participant was recorded, via polysomnogram (PSG) for a total of 3 nights: one 'normal' night, one with or without sleep disruption, and one recovery night.

40% of the sample population was between 20 and 30 years of age, 32% was between 40 and 55, while the remaining 28% was between 66 and 83.

During the initial sleep session, the group aged 20 to 30 slept an average of 433.5 minutes, the group aged 40 and 55 slept 410 minutes, and the group aged 66 and above only slept 390 minutes. The PSGs also reconfirmed that the older one becomes, the less slow wave (or stage 3) sleep they experience.

University of Surrey professor Derk-Jan Dijk and chief researcher went on to state that "whether you are young or old, if you are sleepy during the day you either don't get enough sleep or you may suffer from a sleep disorder. Our findings reaffirm the theory that it is not normal for older people to be sleepy during the daytime."

Sleep efficiency is also a factor to consider. The average number of minutes spent awake after initially falling asleep increased from 21 for young adults to 50 for middle-aged adults and 71 for older adults.

Surprisingly, researchers found that older adults displayed fewer symptoms of daytime somnolence despite getting less total sleep then their younger counterparts.

These findings could have important implications for older adults complaining of insomnia who may not be aware of their reduced need for sleep.

The bottom line: healthy aging appears to be connected with a natural reduction in sleep duration and efficiency needed to maintain daytime alertness; however, the actual cause for age-related reduction in sleep still needs to be established.