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by wickedwillie on February 14th, 2005

wickedwillie

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Do the elderly need less sleep?

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Answers. 7 helpful answers below.

  • by holster on January 27th, 2008

    holster

    Ultimately, the amount of sleep a person needs is individual. However, I speculate the the average elderly person sleeps less because their bodies actually do NOT require as much restorative time as younger adults, teenagers, or children. Think about why we sleep - it isn't just for our brains to rest, it is for all of our cells to produce the neat little things they need to make for us to live, and to repair and regenerate. As we get older, this process slows down considerably, our metabolism slows, and we put fewer and fewer physical demands on out bodies for energy consumption. I believe that our bodies take as much sleep as they need, and often this is hours less than earlier in our lives. Four hours may be plenty for the average elderly body. The problem is that we worry about getting "normal" sleep, which we think is the amount we were sleeping when we were 30 or 40. Imagine if our reference point was our normal childhood sleep - we'd be aiming for 12 hours a day! I think instead of worrying about the quantity of sleep we get as we age, we need to consider the quality of it instead. After all, 3 hours of good sleep is better than 8 hours of fragmented sleep.

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  • by Mimi Procter on May 6th, 2006

    Mimi Procter

    No.They need more.They are indeed older,and as you get older,your energy levels drop. So they need more sleep.

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  • by lynnenorth on November 23rd, 2005

    lynnenorth

    Correct. In general, as people age they sleep less; by the time someone is 70 they will usually be sleeping 2-3 hours less per night than when they were 20. Also, more of the sleep will be shallow and disturbed, and less time is spent dreaming. There are a number of hypotheses as to why, but I don't think anyone knows for sure yet.

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  • by questionmark on February 28th, 2005

    questionmark

    Well, I'm pretty sure they need more sleep. Elderly people have less energy as they continue to age and they lose valuable cells and other things that keeps them going. In order for them to regain all that energy, they have to sleep. And much more than adults.

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  • by joesfortune on August 4th, 2010

    joesfortune

    It is common belief that the elderly sleep less. But some articles I read about sleeping patterns of the elderly don't support this, per se. I don't think it applies to me, definitely.

    I still sleep, on the average, 7 hours when I was in my 30s and now that I am 62 yrs old. Then and now, there were nights when I tossed in my "sleep." Even now it is easy to see if I had a good night sleep or not by looking at how my bedding is disarranged when I wake up, then and now, at 5 am.

    Our metabolism may have slowed down, but the decrease in physical activity is compensated by an increase in the mental side. Re the other body functions, barring sickness, I guess things will be the same regardless of age.


    the s are

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  • by breakstress on August 4th, 2010

    breakstress

    I think it just seems that way because they wake up so early.

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  • by thatsJustme on February 16th, 2010

    thatsJustme

    not really....they just go to bed earlier and get up earlier....8 hrs is the norm for all adults....young or old.......they mostly like to get up and start the day instead of sleeping half of it away.....the more you sleep the more sleep you need.....

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