The older people get, the less they tend to sleep — but that’s not how things should be. Contrary to popular opinion, as an older adult you require about the same amount of sleep as you did in your 20s.
However, many older adults get less sleep than they need, and often experience major consequences. A lack of quality, consistent deep sleep can lead to cognitive impairment, mood swings and a variety of other physical and mental health problems.
Fortunately, there are more than enough ways to ensure a good night’s sleep, day after day. Following are a few of the most helpful strategies we’ve found for falling asleep — and staying asleep — night after night.
Stick to a Schedule
Your circadian rhythms, your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle, don’t change much from one day to the next — even when you go to bed at different times. This is one of the reasons why you experience jet lag even on short flights across just a few time zones. A consistent sleep schedule will allow for higher quality, more restful sleep than if you got the same length of sleep at different times.
What’s more, your body doesn’t differentiate between days of the week. Staying up late and sleeping in on weekends can be tempting, but your circadian rhythms won’t accommodate the variation for just one or two nights. The more your sleep schedules differ from weekdays to weekends, the more tired and groggy you’ll feel on Monday.
Put Away the Screens
When it gets late and dark, our brains produce melatonin, a drowsiness-inducing chemical often sold as a sleep aid. Even small amounts of light — including the blue LEDs on a smartphone or computer — can disrupt that production. Viewing the large, bright screen of a TV or tablet too close to bedtime can also make it tougher to sleep. If you have trouble falling asleep, avoid screens an hour before bedtime.
Eat, But Don’t Get Full
Eat enough at dinnertime to feel satisfied but not stuffed, and eat a small snack if you start to feel hungry before bed. The digestion of a heavy meal can make it tough to fall asleep, but hunger will keep you up in the middle of the night.
Nap Smart
Naps aren’t as restful as an uninterrupted night’s sleep, but they can help you to make it through a drowsy day. That said, if you do nap, be deliberate about the time and length so that you don’t fall into a pattern of poor nighttime sleep and constant daytime drowsiness. Take your nap at least six hours before bedtime, and limit the length to an hour or less.
Exercise Daily
Exercise is energizing in the short-term, but the more you use your body (and mind) during the day, the easier you’ll fall asleep at night. Likewise, sitting is better than lying down, and standing is better than sitting. A sedentary lifestyle is one of the biggest contributors to poor sleep, so get moving as much as possible!
Reduce Stress
Whether you’ve lost a loved one, recently moved or just tend to agonize over small decisions, any chronic stress can keep you up at night. Your body can’t tell the difference between “big” and “small” stressors, either, so it’s more important to foster a low-stress lifestyle than to worry about major events.
Make Your Bedroom Comfortable
For most people, a cool, quiet and dark room is the best environment for sleep. Background noise and the extra air from a fan can also help promote a restful environment. Whatever your preferences are, make sure your room is as comfortable as possible before you climb into bed.
Create a Ritual
Along with a consistent bedtime, a regular ritual can get you “in the mood” to go to sleep. Brushing your teeth, taking medicine, tending to pets or even cleaning the kitchen — all of these tasks can help if you associate them with sleep. Even when you don’t feel tired, performing your bedtime ritual can psychologically prepare you to fall asleep fast once your head hits the pillow.
Planning to age in place? Make sure you have all the information you need. Check out our free resource, Aging in Place: A New Trend for a New Generation of Seniors.
