Sleep issues are more prevalent in older adults for a number of reasons. Some are directly related to the process and structure of sleep, others to the physical ageing process, and others to lifestyle changes associated with age.
If we look at how sleep itself changes with age, then we need to be aware that humans of all ages cycle through different stages (light and deep) and different types of sleep every night. It is the variation in how long we spend in each stage and our feelings of how well we have slept, that differ widely with age.
In order to gain all of the positive health benefits and feel refreshed after sleep, we need to spend at least some of the night in deep sleep. However, our ability to produce the brainwaves necessary to enter into and maintain deep sleep reduces gradually after early adulthood, so that those over the age of 70 spend 80-90% less time in deep sleep than a younger adult.
This means that older people tend to experience more broken sleep; they wake up more often overnight and are disturbed more easily by noise, stressful thoughts or physical sensations such as pain, temperature changes or bladder urgency.
In addition, as we progress through life our internal body clock, that signals to us when we should be awake and asleep, shifts slightly earlier so that we have a tendency to struggle to stay awake in the evening and find ourselves awake earlier in the morning.
Add into all of this the other age-related factors that influence sleep – for example, medical conditions and the medications taken for them, hormonal fluctuations, and lifestyle factors such as stress, diet, exercise, smoking and alcohol use – and it is not difficult to understand why sleep issues are more prevalent in older adults.
Unfortunately, our coping strategies to worsening sleep, such as daytime napping and going to bed earlier, can often make the situation worse. Probably the biggest block to sleep that we develop with age is the tendency to overthink and worry about it. We then lose our self-confidence in what should be an automatic process and begin to try too hard, the effort of which may then prevent us further from sleeping.
As a solution, it is recommended that you come to terms with the fact that your sleep naturally changes with age and accept that this is not your fault. Worrying about or forcing yourself to sleep will only make matters worse. Try to stick to a routine bedtime, practice good sleep hygiene and if you must nap, take your nap as early as possible. Lastly, if you find yourself in bed and not asleep, get up and do something else instead.
If you think you could benefit from learning more about Sleep Coaching, call Sarah-Louise on 07791 634 727.
By Sarah-Louise Waters, Sleep Coach www.fromsoultosole.co.uk