Aging Comes with Less Sleep

Young people require more shut-eye than the rest of us. Perhaps you remember being young, and even if you got the right amount of sleep at night, you felt exhausted during the day? Fortunately, that sleepy stage does not go on forever. Reports have demonstrated that the older you get, the less sleep you need.
Just how much rest each person needs seems to vary greatly. Some are okay getting a few hours per night while others are still tired after eight hours worth. Reports abound about getting too much sleep; research attests to the effects of to little sleep on the body. As a normal American, we get both sides of the sleep coin at the same time. The advice you get may range to either side of the spectrum, so you just have to find some middle ground that is best for you and your sleep needs.
It is no secret that as people get older they might have greater difficulty sleeping. They may be fidgety and can't get to sleep for a significant percentage of the night. Analysts in the U.K. have confirmed that older people need less sleep. They even noted that occasional divergence from one's usual sleep patterns is common and healthy so long as weariness doesn't get out of hand.
Experts reporting on the study assert that "healthy aging appears to be associated with decreases in sleep duration and depth required to maintain daytime alertness." However they also pointed out that lots of people are afflicted with sleep deprivation. This loss of attention caused by too little sleep can result in auto accidents and even death in elderly people.
From the study, research workers learned that sleep differences associated with age. They realized when individuals spent eight hours in bed, the 20-30 year olds got about 7.23 hours of sleep. Those in the 40-55 group slept 6.83 hours and 66-82 year olds were asleep only 6.51 hours. Also those in the older age group tended to spend less time in deep sleep than the younger groups. So basically, the older you become the less sleep you get and the less sleep you require.
The research also found that it took progressively more time for the older age groups to nod off. When the 20-30 year olds were in bed or trying to snooze it took them 8.7 minutes to fall asleep, while it took 40-55 year olds 11.7 minutes and 14.2 minutes for the 66-83 group.
The amount of sleep an individual gets may affect both short and long-term health. But as people age they require less and less sleep. You can find suggestions on just how much sleep is optimum, it's kind of up to you. That said, the majority of adults should normally get between six and eight hours of sleep per night, but you knew that already, right?

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