Sleep disorders are increasing in younger people also. But as you age sleep patterns beyond "the norm" increase all across that population spectrum. The lack of healthful sleep should not be underestimated in its negative effects regardless of age. But older people sleep less for many reasons including the biologic effects of just aging. Even very healthy older people begin to have less effective healthfull sleep as the years go on. So the point is to find ways to recover good sleep. Stay healthy. Exercise. Avoid eating late at night. Eliminate all light from the sleep environment, flashing toothbrushes, clocks, night lights, street lights, phones, etc. supplements such as melatonin may help. Yoga, meditation also. Speak to your physician about your sleep patterns especially if you are on any medication as they may have an importance. I've studied this subject quite a bit but there is not much to be said beyond what you can find in medical literature on the internet. Some people that delve into this extensively also utilize various monitoring devices and apps that even interface with IPhones to help better the quality of their sleep. But I don't pursue that approach any longer and just stick to the principles. Bottom line is good,quality sleep is essential to good health and longevity. Its importance is far underrated. A vital topic. Good for you bringing it up!
Sleeping In
- Thread starter August West
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No doubt lol!!! My rule on a day off is just not to get up at my regular work time. BTW, love watching the younger ones at daylight savings time, takes them a week to get it down!!!
- Thread starter
- #23
Thank you. And thanks for the great and informed response.
I'm with you August. As we get older, less sleep is required and the sleep we do have seems to be less deep, or sound.
I need less sleep as I get older. At 56 years old I need 5-6 hours of sleep at most per night. If I get more than 6 hours I'm not functioning at 100%. As long as I'm in bed at a reasonable hour I get much better sleep. Too much or too little sleep is not good for me.
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Does my afternoon nap count as sleeping in, or an early start? 
- Thread starter
- #27
Does my afternoon nap count as sleeping in, or an early start?
Napping is another great aspect to throw into the discussion. Thanks Christopher.
Does my afternoon nap count as sleeping in, or an early start?
Absolutely not! In my book naps don't count! I take a 30 minute quick nap at some point in the day.
I like to stay up late and get up early...and in there lies the problem.
I love sleeping in and do it every chance I get. It gets easier the older I get. I could sleep to the crack of noon every day, no problem. Unfortunately, the chances to do so becomes less frequent as I get older
I'm up at 4 a.m. almost every day, 3 if I have to work overtime. My wife can sleep 18 hours a day on weekends and often does.
I wake up every day at 5:50 am. I try to go to sleep at 9pm, i do sleep in on the weekends. But no later than 10am.
I sleep much better in the morning than at night.
The only time I ever go to bed late or sleep in is during the work week. On the weekend, I resume normal hours: go to bed at 4:00 AM, wake up at 2:00 PM. The 9-5ers are the ones who need to get back to a normal sleep schedule 
I haven't since I was a teenager. Now that I am in my thirties, it doesn't matter when I go to sleep, I will be up by 7am. I could be up until 4am and I will still be up at 7am.
Have suffered from insomnia all my life. Usually takes me one-two hours after I lay down before I eventually nod off. Seems like I wake up exhausted nearly every morning. I sleep in every chance I get, and if I could I'd sleep until about 8:00-9:00 am every morning.
I used to love sleeping late, and in my youth (through college and afterward) I did so as often as I could. I've always been a night owl, and if I stayed up really late I'd sleep 8 hours plus and get up whenever. Even after I started working full time, I used to feel that it was really important to wake up without the tyranny of an alarm clock at least once a month. Now, even if I'm up late (which I still really enjoy), I wake up with the sun. It's really hard to fall back asleep even when I'm off. This isn't a bad thing at all. I have more of the day to enjoy.
And Jake, the donkey who lives next door, is as effective as any rooster in any event.
And Jake, the donkey who lives next door, is as effective as any rooster in any event.
I remember when I came back down from Oregon to Arizona I would wake up at 1 O'Clock in the morning for no reason. I just could not wrap my head around it. I chalked it up to stress from having to start over again, but it kept happening. Maybe there is that "point" in life that tells you that you are getting old. I was 40 at the time, so maybe that may have something to do with it.
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