# Sleep as you get older: what changes and what isn't normal Source: https://sleepfacts.uk/how-sleep-works/sleep-and-ageing/ Author: Tess Marlow ยท Updated 2026-11-04 **Short answer:** Healthy adults get steadily less deep sleep and REM sleep with age, take a little longer to fall asleep and wake more often in the night. Most of these changes happen by about 60. Over-65s still need around 7 to 8 hours. Waking tired every day, loud snoring or long-term insomnia aren't a normal part of ageing and are worth raising with a GP. ## How does sleep change with age? A large review pooled 65 sleep-lab studies of 3,577 healthy people aged 5 to 102. In adults, it found that with age: - total sleep time falls, - deep (slow-wave) sleep and REM sleep make up a smaller share of the night, - light sleep makes up a bigger share, - it takes a little longer to fall asleep, and - people spend more time awake after first falling asleep. Most of these changes happen between early adulthood and about 60. After 60, the only measure that kept getting worse was sleep efficiency: the share of time in bed actually spent asleep. The review also found that the changes were much smaller in studies that carefully screened out people with health problems, sleep apnoea and medicines that affect sleep. In other words, a lot of what looks like ageing is really illness. ## Does the body clock change? Yes. The clock tends to run earlier, so many older people feel sleepy earlier in the evening and wake earlier. Older adults also often get less bright daylight, especially if they spend most of the day indoors, which weakens the clock's signal. ## How much sleep do older people need? The US National Sleep Foundation's panel recommends 7 to 8 hours for adults over 65, with 5 to 9 hours possibly suitable for some. Daytime naps count, but long or late naps can make night-time sleep worse. See [naps](/sleep-better/naps/). ## What isn't a normal part of ageing? These are worth discussing with a GP rather than accepting as age: - **Insomnia** most nights for three months or more. CBT for insomnia works as well in older people as in younger ones. See [CBT for insomnia](/sleep-problems/cbt-for-insomnia/). - **Loud snoring, gasping or pauses in breathing,** which may be [sleep apnoea](/sleep-problems/sleep-apnoea/). It becomes more common with age. - **An urge to move the legs in the evening,** which may be [restless legs](/sleep-problems/restless-legs/). - **Acting out dreams,** shouting, punching or kicking in sleep. This can be REM sleep behaviour disorder, which sometimes comes years before Parkinson's disease. - **Feeling very sleepy in the day** despite enough time in bed. - **Needing to pass urine several times a night,** which can have treatable causes. ## Does poor sleep in later life affect the brain? Possibly. In the Whitehall II study of British civil servants, people who regularly slept 6 hours or less in their 50s and 60s were about 30% more likely to be diagnosed with dementia over 25 years than those who slept 7 hours. That doesn't prove short sleep causes dementia; very early brain changes might disturb sleep long before symptoms. See [sleep and dementia](/benefits/dementia/). ## What about sleeping tablets? Be cautious. A review of 24 trials in people over 60 found sleeping pills added about 25 minutes of sleep a night, while memory and thinking problems were nearly five times as common and daytime tiredness nearly four times as common as on placebo. The authors concluded that the benefits may not justify the risks, especially for people at risk of falls. See [prescription sleeping pills](/sleep-aids/sleeping-pills/) and [antihistamine sleep aids](/sleep-aids/antihistamines/), which carry their own risks in older people. ## Frequently asked questions ### Do older people need less sleep? A little less. Experts recommend 7 to 8 hours for people over 65, compared with 7 to 9 for younger adults. Older people often get less than they need because their sleep is lighter and more broken, not because they need much less. ### Why do I wake up at 4am as I get older? The body clock tends to shift earlier with age, sleep is lighter, and the need to pass urine at night becomes more common. Bright light in the late afternoon and early evening can help push the clock a little later. ### Are sleeping pills safe for older people? They carry more risk with age. A review of trials in people over 60 found sleeping pills added about 25 minutes of sleep a night but made memory problems, daytime tiredness and falls-related problems several times more common. CBT for insomnia works at any age and is the recommended first treatment. ## References 1. [Ohayon MM et al. Meta-analysis of quantitative sleep parameters from childhood to old age in healthy individuals. Sleep, 2004.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15586779/) 2. [Hirshkowitz M et al. National Sleep Foundation's sleep time duration recommendations. Sleep Health, 2015.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29073412/) 3. [Glass J et al. Sedative hypnotics in older people with insomnia: meta-analysis of risks and benefits. BMJ, 2005.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16284208/) 4. [Sabia S et al. Association of sleep duration in middle and old age with incidence of dementia. Nature Communications, 2021.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33879784/) 5. [NHS. Insomnia.](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/insomnia/)