Question: Does your age affect your sleep?

Alex Reid answered on 5 Nov 2018:

Yes it does. As you go throughout life you will find you need less sleep. Your average adults needs about 8 hours a day, plus or minus two hours. You will likely need a bit more than this as sleep helps you grow and form memories. Your parents will need less, and your grandparents even less so. While people often vary individually in their sleep patterns, these are trends we can broadly see throughout life.

Older people in particular (aged 60 onwards) will often have a more fragmented and shallow sleep cycle. While this is often considered a normal part of aging there is evidence that the cognitive decline associated with things such as Alzheimer’s disease are linked with a feedback loop of poor sleep (Nadine will know more about dementia than me though!).

Despite age differences you should always make sure you get enough sleep. In modern society a lot of people view it as an inconvenience, when actually it is a very important biological drive (like hunger). If you don’t get enough it can be bad for your health.