Are Sleep Problems Normal as We Get Older?

Dozing through prime-time television shows. Waking before sunrise, unable to fall back asleep. Getting up several times during the night. For many adults over the age of 50, sleep issues such as these can disrupt everyday life and leave them wondering, “Is this a normal part of getting older?” 

There’s no question that once we reach middle age, we begin to face obstacles to a good night’s sleep. The older we get, the more prominent sleep problems can become. In a 2005 Gallup study of Americans aged 50 and older, 24% of subjects believed they had a sleep problem. In a 2003 National Sleep Foundation poll, 67% of adults aged 55 to 84 reported frequent sleep problems; in the findings, poor sleep in the elderly was associated with other health, weight, or mobility problems.

Experts tend to agree that some sleep changes are normal as we age, but that doesn't mean you should chalk up all sleep problems to growing older. If you or your loved ones aren't resting as easily as in previous years, here are a few points to consider. 

Sleep patterns do change as we get older
As with other normal bodily functions, the efficiency of the brain in carrying out its sleep-related duties begins to decline over time, and this may lead to sleep problems. Such a decline in normal sleep probably begins in our 40s, though it may not be until years later, when we reach our 50s or 60s, that we finally become aware of a problem.

The brain produces less and less melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep at night and alertness during the day. As adults enter their senior years, sleep patterns may naturally shift to earlier in the day. 

For example, seniors may normally begin to fall asleep earlier in the night—at 8 p.m. on the couch after dinner, for example. Because of this, they may begin to wake up earlier, at 3 or 4 a.m. It may seem like a logical step to take over-the-counter melatonin to help correct such a shift, but experts have mixed opinions about how safe this approach is for older people. (Read more about sleep medication and older adults.)

Ronald Kramer, MD, a neurologist and the medical director at the Colorado Neurological Institute's Sleep Disorders Center in Denver, and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, sees these advanced sleep cycles in many of his elderly patients. 

"They come in and say, 'I'm sleepy all the time; I go out at night and I fall asleep at the movies.'" A big part of counseling these patients, says Dr. Kramer, is educating them about the changes their bodies are going through. "They may have to make some adjustments—get used to going to bed earlier and getting up earlier, or taking a nap in the afternoon. In a way, it's payback for what we all used to do as adolescents, delaying our natural sleep patterns by staying up late so often." 

Nighttime sleep also becomes more fragmented after age 50, and most seniors have difficulty sleeping through the night without waking several times. Because of constant interruption in the natural sleep cycle, some older adults get less deep, restorative REM sleep.