Do We Need Less Sleep As We Age?

We spend around a third of our lives asleep, but those hours aren’t evenly spread across our lifetime. As babies we may sleep up to 17 hours a day. By age 5 this drops to around 13 hours, then roughly 10 hours at 13, and about 9 hours at 18. These changes are biologically driven and closely tied to brain development.

As adults, we often hear about the “ideal” 8 hours a night. But this isn’t a strict rule and chasing a magic number can create unnecessary pressure. Sleep need is far more individual than most people realise.

Do we need less sleep as we age?

Many people over 50 notice they no longer get 8 hours’ sleep a night and worry that something is wrong. In reality, research shows that 6 to7 hours is a common average for older adults and anything between 5 and 9 hours can still be perfectly healthy.

However, According to the Adult Sleep eBook published by The Sleep Charity, it’s a misconception that older adults need less sleep. We still require roughly the same amount, we simply find it harder to generate it.

Understanding this can be reassuring. It helps us separate what naturally changes with age from what we can influence through habits, environment and mindset.

What naturally changes with age (and we can’t influence)

We can’t stop time and we can’t override the biological shifts that occur as we get older. These changes are normal, expected and not a sign of “failing” at sleep.

More frequent waking

As we age, we tend to wake more often during the night. This can be due to:

• Interacting medications

• Health conditions

• Lighter sleep

• And, very commonly, a more sensitive bladder

Reducing fluid intake in the mid‑to‑late evening can help, but the waking itself is a normal part of ageing.

Reduced deep sleep

Deep non‑REM sleep (stage N3) naturally declines with age. Sleep researchers have found that the middle frontal regions of the brain, which are responsible for generating deep sleep, change over time.

We lose around 2% of deep sleep per decade after adolescence. By our late 40s, we may have lost 60–70% of the deep sleep we had as teenagers. By our 70s, this can reach up to 90%. (Source: Matt Walker, Why We Sleep)

This doesn’t mean sleep is “broken” buy has simply become lighter and less restorative.

Earlier waking and earlier bedtimes

Our circadian rhythm gradually shifts earlier. Melatonin is released earlier in the evening, making us feel sleepy sooner. This can lead to:

• Falling asleep earlier than intended

• Waking earlier in the morning

• Reduced sleep efficiency if we go to bed too early

• Less build‑up of adenosine (sleep pressure) by bedtime

This shift is biological, not behavioural.

Hormonal changes

Melatonin production decreases with each decade, making it harder to fall and stay asleep.

Health conditions

Pain, heart conditions, diabetes, bladder issues and other health concerns become more common with age. Sleep and health influence each other. If symptoms are affecting sleep, it’s worth discussing this with your GP.

What we can influence

While we can’t change the biology of ageing, we can influence the habits, beliefs and behaviours that shape our sleep experience.

Napping habits

Long or late naps can reduce sleep pressure at night.

Sedentary lifestyle

Movement during the day supports deeper, more consolidated sleep.

Going to bed too early

Trying to “bank” more sleep by going to bed earlier often backfires, reducing sleep drive and increasing night‑time waking.

Anxiety about sleep

Media scare stories and rigid sleep rules can create pressure and hypervigilance, both of which make sleep harder.

Finding your personal sleep number

The most important question isn’t “How many hours should I get?” but “How do I feel?”

Ask yourself:

• Am I going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time each day?

• Do I feel reasonably refreshed and able to stay awake during the day?

• Do I feel ready for bed at my usual time?

If the answer is yes, you’re likely getting the right amount of sleep for you. Sleep need is highly individual and shaped by age, genetics, lifestyle, health, stress, pets, children and life events.

Obsessing over numbers rarely helps. Listening to your body does.

Habits that support sleep at any age

• Keep naps to under 30 minutes and avoid napping after 3pm

• Avoid vigorous exercise too close to bedtime

• Create a calm, safe sleep environment (cooler temperatures, minimal clutter, no tripping hazards)

• Ask your GP about evidence‑based, non‑medication approaches such as CBT‑I (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia and other talking therapies)

A note on daylight exposure

For most adults, getting natural daylight earlier in the day is one of the simplest ways to strengthen the body clock. Morning light helps regulate hormones, boosts alertness and supports a healthy sleep–wake rhythm.

However, in older adults the circadian rhythm often shifts earlier, meaning melatonin rises earlier in the evening and the body naturally wakes earlier in the morning. In this situation, morning light can unintentionally reinforce that early shift.

That’s why some sleep researchers, including Matt Walker, suggest a different approach specifically for older adults who want to shift their sleep later:

• Reduce bright light exposure early in the morning (for example, wearing sunglasses during early outdoor exercise)

• Increase bright light exposure in the late afternoon or early evening

This doesn’t contradict the general advice. It simply adapts it to the biology of ageing and the goal of nudging the body clock later.

The future of sleep in older age

As well as looking at behavioural interventions, such as light exposure timings as described above, sleep scientists are also researching the use of melatonin supplementation and exploring brain‑stimulation techniques to help older adults generate deeper, more restorative sleep.

There are also calls to make sleep more of a priority in healthcare for older adults. Matt Walker, a leading sleep scientist, emphasises the need for compassion and proper treatment of sleep difficulties in older populations. He compares it to bone density loss: even though the body changes with age, support and intervention still make a meaningful difference. Older adults may find sleep harder to generate, but they still benefit enormously from improving it.

If this resonates and you’d like to explore your improving sleep in a supportive, personalised way, I’d be happy to help. You can reach me through my contact page for more details about how I work.