How much sleep does a 72 year old need? (2023)

How much should a 72 year old sleep?

Older adults need about the same amount of sleep as all adults—7 to 9 hours each night.

Interestingly, older adults need about the same amount of sleep as younger adults — seven or more hours of sleep per night. Unfortunately, many older adults often get less sleep than they need. One reason is that they often have more trouble falling asleep.

The panel found that while sleep patterns change with aging, adults 65-years-old and older still need between 7-8 hours of sleep nightly, and ideally over a continuous period of time.

A new study published in Healthy Aging and Clinical Care in the Elderly finds that more than half of all retired people 65 and older report sleeping at least 7.5 hours per night, and between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7:30 a.m., a finding that runs contrary to the commonly held assumptions that most elderly people go to ...

Around 20% of older people experience excessive daytime sleepiness, which may be a sign of an underlying health condition rather than merely old age. Excessive daytime sleepiness in older adults may be a symptom of health issues like sleep apnea, cognitive impairment, or cardiovascular issues.

While a 30- to 90-minute nap in older adults appears to have brain benefits, anything longer than an hour and a half may create problems with cognition, the ability to think and form memories, according to the study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Sleep need gets less with age until around 20 years old when it stabilises. How much and how fast this happens depends on the person. It is normal for children to have daytime naps until 3 to 5 years old. If a child takes naps often past this age, he or she might not be sleeping enough at night.

Contrary to popular opinion, older people don't need less sleep than the average person. In fact, adults require about the same amount of sleep from their 20s into old age, although the number of hours per night varies from person to person.

Beneath the surface, your body is aging too, and sleep loss can speed up the process. A study done by UCLA researchers discovered that just a single night of insufficient sleep can make an older adults' cells age quicker.

ABSTRACT: Fatigue is a common symptom in elderly persons, but it is often ignored as many patients and healthcare providers assume it is a natural progression of aging or may mistake it for somnolence, dyspnea, or muscle weakness.

Why do seniors wake up at night?

Older people wake up an average of 3 or 4 times each night. They are also more aware of being awake. Older people wake up more often because they spend less time deep sleep. Other causes include needing to get up and urinate (nocturia), anxiety, and discomfort or pain from long-term (chronic) illnesses.

In these settings, melatonin is considered the preferred pharmacological option for elderly patients. It is also an option for patients who are blind and suffer from non–24-hour sleep–wake rhythm disorder, given evidence supporting circadian entrainment.

According to their internal body clock, most older adults need to go to sleep around 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. and wake up at 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. Many people fight their natural inclination to sleep and choose to go to bed several hours later instead.

If you nap in the morning, the sleep consists primarily of light NREM (and possibly REM) sleep. In contrast, napping later in the evening, as your sleep drive increases, will comprise more deep sleep. This, in turn, may disrupt your ability to fall asleep at night. Therefore, napping late in the day is discouraged.

With age come changes in the structure and quality of our sleep. After about age 60, we have less deep (slow-wave) sleep and more rapid sleep cycles, we awaken more often, and we sleep an average of two hours less at night than we did as young adults.

Sleeping more and more is a common feature of later-stage dementia. As the disease progresses, the damage to a person's brain becomes more extensive and they gradually become weaker and frailer over time.

Chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, thyroid disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Untreated pain and diseases like fibromyalgia. Anemia. Sleep apnea and other sleep disorders.

Chronic coughing could be a symptom of minor concern—such as a common respiratory cold, acid reflux, or allergies—but it could also indicate a serious health concern such as: Acute bronchitis. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Congestive heart failure (cardiac cough)

A 2019 study published in Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, showed among 165 participants (45 with diagnosed neurodegenerative disease, 120 controls) a supine sleep position (on back, head at body level) for more than 2 hours per night increased the risk of dementia by almost four times (3.7 times greater).

Naps exceeding half an hour during the day could possibly lead to serious health conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. A study published in April 2016 found that naps lasting more than 60 minutes a day increased the risk of type 2 diabetes by 50 percent.

What is considered an elderly person?

Ageing, an inevitable process, is commonly measured by chronological age and, as a convention, a person aged 65 years or more is often referred to as 'elderly'.

Hormones: As we age, our bodies secrete less of two important sleep hormones: melatonin and growth hormone. Melatonin is important because changes in the level of this hormone control our sleep cycle. With less melatonin, many older adults feel sleepy in the early evening and wake up in the early morning.

Sleep Environment Disturbances

Nighttime noise⁴, such as sounds from outdoor traffic, televisions, or cell phones, is a significant cause of disturbed sleep. Similarly, exposure to light⁵ from an outdoor light shining through a window or even a dim nightlight can also cause a person to wake up during the night.

A variety of processes may interfere with sleep and wakefulness in the elderly. Among them are acute and chronic medical illnesses, medication effects, psychiatric disorders, primary sleep disorders, social changes, poor sleep habits and circadian rhythm shifts.

The primary signs and symptoms of sleep deprivation include excessive daytime sleepiness and daytime impairment such as reduced concentration, slower thinking, and mood changes. Feeling extremely tired during the day is one of the hallmark signs of sleep deprivation.

Sometimes life calls and we don't get enough sleep. But five hours of sleep out of a 24-hour day isn't enough, especially in the long term. According to a 2018 study of more than 10,000 people, the body's ability to function declines if sleep isn't in the seven- to eight-hour range.

People with hypersomnia might require as many as 10 to 12 hours of sleep per night to feel their best. Since day-to-day life might include responsibilities that don't allow for this much rest, long sleepers may feel excessively tired during the day and catch up on off days, sleeping as much as 15 hours at a time.

Natural changes happen in the body as we age, such as skin damage from sun exposure, loss of muscle and physical strength, loss of some sight and hearing, as well as changes to our sleep patterns, energy levels and appetite.

Taking a nap might do more than just improve your mood - a new study has shown it may help you live longer. Research has shown that a regular nap of 20 minutes can cut your chance of having a heart attack in later life.

Skin makes new collagen when you sleep, which prevents sagging. “That's part of the repair process,” says Patricia Wexler, MD, a dermatologist in New York. More collagen means skin is plumper and less likely to wrinkle. Only getting 5 hours a night can lead to twice as many fine lines as sleeping 7 would.

What happens to your body at age 70?

Age spots and wrinkles are no surprise, but you may also find that you bruise more and sweat less. Your skin may be drier and more paperlike. It might be itchy and more easily irritated, too. It can help to switch to gentler soap and use moisturizer and sunscreen regularly.

Nearly one-third of adults age 51 and older experience fatigue, according to a 2010 study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Turn off your electronic devices and TV an hour before bed. You can read a book, listen to music -- whatever helps you unwind. Make the bedroom a sleep zone. If you're still awake 20 minutes after you hit the sack, get up.

A reduction in appetite is one sign that someone may be in the last days of their life. They may no longer wish to eat or drink anything. This could be because they find the effort of eating or drinking to be too much. But it may also be because they have little or no need or desire for food or drink.

Because melatonin can cause daytime drowsiness, don't drive or use machinery within five hours of taking the supplement. Don't use melatonin if you have an autoimmune disease.

Older adults: 0.1 mg to 5 mg (The recommended starting point is lower because we take longer to digest melatonin after age 55.)

Bananas are good for the elderly because they may relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression, brighten the mood, and enhance restful sleep. In addition, bananas are typically well-tolerated by seniors who may not have an appetite if they're living with emotional health issues.

“Friends and family, dressmaking, sewing, knitting, gardening, cooking, interior design, decorating, reading, involvement in classic car club and classic cars, our motorhome and traveling, learning new skills and crafts, on-line courses, and anything that takes my fancy.”

Do most seniors take naps?

In Western countries, daytime napping is also more common in older adults than in other age groups. For example, the National Institutes of Health-AAPR Diet and Health Study reported that 40.3%−52.5% of Americans aged 50–71 take daytime naps [14].

The longest recorded time without sleep is approximately 264 hours, or just over 11 consecutive days. Although it's unclear exactly how long humans can survive without sleep, it isn't long before the effects of sleep deprivation start to show. After only three or four nights without sleep, you can start to hallucinate.

Research suggests the ideal time to go to sleep is 10 p.m. But you should focus more on having a consistent schedule and routine when it comes to hitting the hay.

What's the connection between sleep and Alzheimer's? Some recent studies suggest that poor sleep contributes to abnormal levels of beta-amyloid protein in the brain, which in turn leads to the amyloid plaques found in the Alzheimer's brain.

DALLAS, JULY 25, 2022 — Napping on a regular basis is associated with higher risks for high blood pressure and stroke, according to new research published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal.

As people age, they tend to sleep more lightly than when they were younger. Waking up during the night due to achy joints or the need to use the restroom becomes commonplace. Many seniors compensate for this lost sleep by catching a restorative nap during the day. That's normal.

Sleep Changes in Older Adults. Most healthy older adults aged 65 or older need 7-8 hours of sleep each night to feel rested and alert. But as you age, your sleep patterns may change.

“It is advisable for an adult to get 1 to 3 hours of deep sleep per 8 hours of nightly sleep each night,” says Sleep Geek James.

Compared with younger adults, the elderly spend more time in bed but have deterioration in both the quality and quantity of sleep. All of these changes can lead to excessive daytime sleepiness, which in turn can lead to intentional and unintentional napping.

At what age do people need the most sleep?

The younger a person is, the more sleep they need. Newborns sleep 14-17 hours per day, infants 12-15 hours, teens 8-10 hours, adults 7-9 hours, and seniors 7-8 hours.

'Speculative' Results? There was a 65% higher death rate for people who regularly slept less than 5 hours on all nights, compared with people who regularly slept 6 to 7 hours per night. There was a 25% higher death rate for people who averaged 8 hours or more of sleep on all nights.

As you age your body produces lower levels of growth hormone, so you'll likely experience a decrease in slow wave or deep sleep (an especially refreshing part of the sleep cycle). When this happens you produce less melatonin, meaning you'll often experience more fragmented sleep and wake up more often during the night.

It found that those who slept eight hours a night were 12 percent more likely to die within six years than those who got 6.5 to 7.5 hours of sleep.

Healthy adults pass gas between 10 and 25 times per day. As you get older, however, you're more likely to take medications, gain weight, become lactose intolerant and have other issues that lead to an increase in gas. So, it's not necessarily the age that's leading to the tooting — it's all the other stuff.

You can figure out the best bedtime for your schedule based on when you have to wake up in the morning and counting backward by 7 hours (the recommended minimum per night for adults). For example, if you need to be up by 6 a.m., you should consider winding down before 11 p.m.

Americans get the least amount asleep around age 40, researchers found in a new study. Medical College of Georgia (MCG) investigators used data from a nationally representative sample of 11,279 participants aged 6 and older, each of whom wore a device on their nondominant wrist that measured movement and gauged sleep.

Sleep need gets less with age until around 20 years old when it stabilises. How much and how fast this happens depends on the person. It is normal for children to have daytime naps until 3 to 5 years old. If a child takes naps often past this age, he or she might not be sleeping enough at night.