How Sleep Changes as We Age
Sleep plays a major role in our physical and mental well-being, but just how important is sleep health for seniors, and do our sleep habits change as we age? Do older people need more sleep?
How Much Sleep Seniors Really Need
Dana Blalock, DDS, founder and owner of Sleep Better South Carolina, said seniors typically need less sleep than younger adults. Most people require between seven and eight hours of sleep a night, but seniors can function well with closer to seven hours. “We find that seniors tend to have more interrupted sleep,” she explained. “And that’s completely normal.”
For instance, while younger adults might wake up periodically during the night, they usually immediately fall back asleep. Seniors may wake up seven or eight times a night, but they tend to find it harder to get back to sleep, possibly leading to tiredness during the day and the habit of taking one-to-two-hour naps, which can interfere with sleep cycles. “If someone is napping and going to bed at their regular time, they may be trying to sleep too long. This just leads to frustration during the night, because they may have already hit their seven to eight hours of sleep,” Dr. Blalock said.
The Role of Activity and Energy Levels
She noted that seniors who are not active might not be tired at night, which adversely affects sleep. “I do see seniors that have very low activity for other health reasons, so it is hard for them to get physically tired,” she explained.
Poor sleep can lead to age-related cognitive decline such as dementia. A side effect is feeling tired, which can result in excessive daytime sleepiness and increased napping, according to Dr. Blalock.
Common Sleep Disorders in Seniors
Common sleep disorders in seniors include sleep apnea, where breathing stops and restarts and drops in oxygen levels occur repeatedly during sleep. Before age 50, men are seven times more likely as women to have this problem, but after 50, the odds are about the same for both, said Dr. Blalock. “In other words, just because a male is getting older, he is not more likely to get sleep apnea,” she elaborated. “Women, however, tend to have apnea more as they age.”
Seniors tend to have complicated medical histories and are on medications that can impact their sleep, including cardiac and urological issues. “For instance, if somebody has sleep apnea and they stop breathing, the blood starts to pool in their heart and that can trigger an episode of atrial fibrillation, which is when the upper chambers of the heart start to beat faster without any kind of rhythm,” said Dr. Blalock.
Treatment Options for Better Sleep
Treatment options for sleep apnea include CPAP – continuous positive airway pressure – a machine that uses the pressure of the air to get beyond the narrowed airway. At Sleep Better SC, Dr. Blalock provides non-CPAP treatment using an oral appliance that goes in the mouth and over the teeth and helps keep the airway open. There is also a procedure called Inspire or hypoglossal nerve stimulation, where an implanted device stimulates the nerve that moves the tongue, pushing it forward to keep the upper airway open during sleep. Weight loss is another option for lowering the risk of sleep apnea, she added.
Why Sleep Treatment Matters
“It’s important to treat your sleep apnea. Because when you have sleep apnea, and your oxygen drops, your brain is saying, ‘Hey, wake up and breathe.’ This prevents you from getting into the deeper, more restorative phases of sleep,” stated Dr. Blalock. “So if you’re not getting into deep sleep regularly throughout the night due to airway issues, you can be missing all of the important health improvements that happen for your body and your brain.”
Learn More
To learn more, visit sleepbettersc.com or call 843-494-5004.
Additional source: my.clevelandclinic.org/health/procedures/sleep-apnea-implant
By Colin McCandless
