Posted on 09/18/2021 1:27:01 AM PDT by be-baw
You can consider it an old wives tale or something that gray-haired ladies weave while power-knitting: the older you get, the less sleep you need. That sounds like a rare and significant pro of aging, being able to be energized for longer hours. It also sounds... extremely not real. While I do remember my grandma up-and-at-'em around 6 a.m. each day, and I also remember her out cold on the couch, head toppled backwards. So do you need less sleep as you get older? Or is YiaYia a liar?
Well, first off, there's at least an element to truth, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Our needs definitely do change as we age. When you're a fresh-out-of-the-oven newborn to 3 months old, you require something like 14 to 17 hours a day. Diaper-bound infants need more like 12 to 15 hours a day. Toddlers to kindergartners need 11 to 15 hours a day, hence the mid-day break of nap time. It slims to nine and 11 hours of sleep until you hit your teens, and it's more like eight to 10 hours. Seven to nine hours is the recommended number for adults (I know, I'm giggling, too), and that's the same once you're 65 or older. So, yes, technically you do need less sleep as you get older.
But the reason why you factually get and function on less sleep has nothing to do with becoming an incredibly spry elder who really wants to be up at the crack of dawn. Rather, our patterns simply change, and we get more shallow rest compared to that subterranean deep REM goodness. Likewise, it's more common to go back to our kindergarten habits and catch a quick nap on the sly.
"As we age, we tend to have less deep sleep, with more broken sleep and awakenings throughout the night," says sleep expert Shelby Harris, PsyD, author of The Women’s Guide to Overcoming Insomnia. "Naps and dozing occur more throughout the day as well. When taken into account, an average older adult should get approximately the same amount of sleep as he or she did normally before aging, maybe half an hour to an hour less. And this is because the new, extra broken sleep in the middle of the night is made up for by those little naps."
Sure enough, you want to pay attention attention if you or an older loved one is finding themselves with a shattered snooze schedule.
"If someone is older and starts to have significantly less sleep than before, way worse quality, many awakenings and the feeling that sleep is generally not restorative, an evaluation with a doctor would be warranted," says Dr. Harris. "Sleep apnea is very common here!"
Regardless of age, there's a few things you can do to get yourself back on track if you're not sure if you're getting enough sleep. It requires a little discipline, and maybe some PTO, but it's worth a shot.
"Go on vacation or take a week off where you do not need to wake to an alarm," says Dr Harris. "Instead, go to bed every night at your usual bedtime and note when you naturally awaken in the morning. Average together the total rest time for days four through seven—ignore the first few days because you’re likely paying back a good deal of sleep debt."
Take an effervescent magnesium drink, meditate and do it with slow and deep abdominal breathing, and read a book for a little while.
I tried that a few years ago but it backfired on me. I was getting less sleep then before I took the melatonin! Try YouTube. They have music channels which help with sleep. And it is chemical free.
Brat kid trying to tell Mom when to sleep?
Leave Grandma alone.
“If anyone has any suggestions I’d appreciate it.”
CBD oil under the tongue, Delta 8 at night if you can get it.
CBD allows me to go back to sleep after I wake up. Note: It takes a while to build up the levels. Two weeks for CBD, one week for Delta 8.
When George Burns was well into his 90s, someone asked what his daily schedule was like, it started something like this-“ 6:00AM I pee, 7:00AM I have a bm, 8:00AM I get up…”
No. At 77 I find myself requiring a ‘cat nap’ during the day. I’m usually ok with 5 hrs. sleep.
Melatonin helps me. I also take calcium/magnesium
“special nap.” is a beautiful thing!
When I was still working, a coworker and I were having a conversation about neither one of us getting enough sleep every night. I told him I would have 2 or 3 beers during the evening, fall asleep, wake up and go to bed, where I would toss and turn all night. He told me “I know what your problem is, you’re not drinking enough”.
I did NOT take his advice and drink more, in fact I don’t drink anymore and I STILL don’t get enough sleep.
That reminds me of my dad.
When I was a teen he would roust me out of bed in the morning saying, “Get up! You can sleep when you’re dead!”
You will need to share more about your sleep pattern.
It can mean you have underlying issues:
Are you awake only during a specific time frame?
Ex.: if you can’t sleep between 1-3am, it’s your liver.
If you can’t sleep in general, what medications do you take?
It is possible you have parasites.
We need more info.
Sleeplessness is a hard thing to endure.
Melatonin is a hormone which is a chemical. I’m not anxious about chemicals. It helps me, music doesn’t however I do stream a sleep channel with slow boring music on my TV.
Melatonin (start with 3 mg)... you can increase if needed. I use the company called Frunetta. Also, NO cell phone or computer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours prior to bed. Menopause can definitely affect sleep... your body will hopefully resume to a more normal state soon.
If your sleep doesn’t improve after you have tried 10 mg of time release melatonin and hour before bedtime, I’d love to know.
Keep your lighting low, and try not to view a light source, like a TV or phone.
Yeah, but it’s not legal in Tennessee.
A bit of truth there in the poster. At an advanced age you wonder if you will awaken. :)
When you were a kid, your grandparents seemed old, but they may have been just in their mid forties! They still had plenty of time before stuff started not working or getting uncomfortable! That shouldn’t be happening yet in the forties :)
CBD gummies, they're called "relax bears", they're legal, no prescription needed, you can get them at
https://greenroads.com/collections/cbd-edibles-gummies
or
https://www.amazon.com/New-Age-Naturals-Advanced-Gummies/dp/B07MFWFYHN
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.