Can't get enough
sleep? Don't be so sure.
All our lives
we’ve been going by Ben Franklin’s
saying, “Early to bed, early to rise makes
a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” True enough
for young folks, but for us older folks, early
to bed means too early to rise, plus the need for
a nap in the afternoon.
Experts have found that as we get older we need less sleep. When we were 25,
we probably did fine on 7 hours of sleep , but by the time we’re 60, we
need less than 6 hours of sleep a night, and by the time we’re 75, we’re
wide awake less than 5 hours later. (This was all documented in Diana Woodruff’s
study on arousal, sleep and aging in “Handbook of the Psychology of Aging”,
1985)
We also wake up more often during the night than we did when we were younger,
especially men. That makes for disrupted sleep, and tiredness during the day.
Some of those awakenings invariably are to go to the bathroom. We need to drink
enough fluids to stay healthy, but the experts say if we stop drinking fluids
after 5 0’clock in the afternoon, we’re less likely to feel the need
to get up in the night.
Snoring also gets worse as we age, they say, and men snore more than women. This
can lead to some serious health problems. Typically, the heavy snorer stops breathing
for a few seconds, until his body wakes him enough to take a breath, then more
snoring, and on and on through the night. Needless to say someone with this condition,
called sleep apnea, is very tired during the day. He hasn’t gotten much
rest! He could also develop an irregular heartbeat and high blood pressure. Even
obesity has been associated with sleep apnea. He may not even be aware this is
happening all night, but his wife surely knows. Good idea to see a doctor.
No one knows why our sleep patterns change as we age. So far, the best advice
the doctors can give us is to spend less time in bed, and to rely less on medications.
It’s also a good idea not to eat just before you go to sleep. With your
digestive engines running full tilt, it’s hard for your body to settle
down enough to nod off.
Be active when you’re awake. Spend less time sitting still and more time
walking. When you’re tired from physical activity and fresh air, you’ll
sleep better. Maybe not longer, but at least better.
Try to stay up a little later and you’ll awaken closer to the time the
rest of the world starts moving. When you go to bed at 8 o’clock, if you’re
over 75, you’ll probably be wide awake by one in the morning. Keep busy
until 10 o’clock at night so you can awaken closer to daybreak.
“ Later to bed and later to rise, helps older folks stay healthier, active
and wise!”
Martha
Miller is the founder and State Coordinator
of ElderWise, Inc. www.elderwiseinc.com ........................................................................
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