Adults 65 and older need about 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night, according to the National Sleep Foundation. That's close to what younger adults need. What changes with age is less the amount you need and more how easily you get it.
Many people assume older adults simply need less sleep. It's more accurate to say that sleep becomes lighter and more broken, so the same hours in bed deliver less actual sleep.
Free toolSleep Needs by AgeRecommended hours for every age, from newborns to over-65s.How sleep changes as you get older
A large analysis of 65 sleep-lab studies, covering people aged 5 to 102, mapped how sleep shifts across the lifespan. In adults, it found these trends with age:
| What changes | Direction with age |
|---|---|
| Total sleep time | Goes down |
| Deep (slow-wave) sleep | Goes down |
| REM (dreaming) sleep | Goes down |
| Time to fall asleep | Goes up |
| Lighter stage 1 and 2 sleep | Goes up |
| Time awake after first falling asleep | Goes up |
| Sleep efficiency (time asleep ÷ time in bed) | Goes down |
One detail stands out. After about age 60, most of these changes leveled off. Only sleep efficiency kept falling. The researchers also found that the changes looked bigger in studies that didn't screen out health problems, medications and sleep disorders.
That's encouraging. It suggests that a lot of the poor sleep people blame on age is actually linked to things that can be treated.
Why older adults wake up more
Lighter sleep means small things are more likely to wake you: a noise, a full bladder, a sore joint, a partner moving. Common contributors include:
- Needing to use the bathroom at night
- Pain from arthritis or other conditions
- Medications that affect sleep or cause night-time urination
- Less daylight and activity, which weakens the body clock's signals
- Sleep disorders such as sleep apnea and restless legs, which become more common with age
Many people also find they get sleepy earlier in the evening and wake earlier in the morning. That's not a problem if you still get 7 to 8 hours. If you're tired at 8 PM and wide awake at 4 AM, bright light in the late afternoon can help. Night owl or early bird explains how your natural timing works.
Time in bed isn't the same as sleep
Because sleep breaks up more with age, it's easy to spend 9 hours in bed and sleep only 6 or 7. Spending even longer in bed to make up for it usually makes sleep shallower and more fragmented.
A better check is how much of your time in bed you actually spend asleep. The sleep efficiency calculator works it out in a few seconds, and time in bed vs time asleep explains what the number means. The sleep needs by age calculator shows the recommended range for your age.
Are naps good for older adults?
A short nap can be a useful top-up, especially after a broken night. The key is to keep it short and early.
- Aim for about 20 to 30 minutes. Longer naps are more likely to leave you groggy.
- Nap before mid-afternoon. A late nap can make it harder to fall asleep at night.
- Notice if you need naps more and more. Growing daytime sleepiness can be a sign your night-time sleep isn't doing its job.
For timing, see the best time to take a nap.
Habits that help
- Keep a steady wake-up time, even after a poor night.
- Get outdoor light in the morning and stay active during the day.
- Limit alcohol in the evening. It can make the second half of the night lighter and more broken.
- Cut back on fluids in the last couple of hours before bed if bathroom trips wake you.
- Get up if you can't sleep. Lying awake for a long time can train your brain to link bed with wakefulness.
When to see a doctor
Poor sleep is common with age, but it isn't something you have to accept. Talk to your doctor if you:
- Snore loudly, gasp or choke at night, or someone notices pauses in your breathing
- Feel very sleepy during the day despite spending enough time in bed
- Have trouble falling or staying asleep most nights for several weeks
- Feel an urge to move your legs in the evening that eases when you move
- Act out dreams, such as shouting, punching or kicking in your sleep
- Started having sleep problems after beginning a new medication
Long-term insomnia often improves with non-drug treatment such as cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), and sleep apnea can be treated once it's found.