We often think that growing older means our sleep habits will change: going to bed earlier, getting up with the chickens, and not sleeping well when we are in bed. However, a recent study has put these thoughts to rest by finding that more than half of people age 65+ actually sleep as well and as long as younger adults.
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh conducted phone interviews with nearly 1200 retirees age 65 to 97. According to the results, the majority of the participants said that they get at least 7.5 hours of sleep each night. Surprisingly, over half also reported that they go to bed around 11 p.m. and get up at or after 7:30 a.m. The results of the sleeping patterns of the retirees in this study are comparable to similar research on people ages 20-50.The research team explains that those who stay well and in control of their health problems will likely sleep as well as they did decades earlier.
Source: Monk T, Buysse D, Schlarb J, Beach S. Timing, duration, and quality of sleep, and level of daytime sleepiness in 1166 retired seniors. Healthy Aging & Clinical Care in the Elderly, 2012; 4: 33-40.