Sleep patterns in older adults

Sleep patterns naturally change as people get older. Compared to younger people, older adults:

• Take longer to fall asleep and sleep fewer hours.
• Wake up more often during the night.
• Have more trouble adjusting to changes in sleeping conditions, such as a different bed.
• Have changes in their sleep cycle, with less rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and less time in sleep stages 3 and 4 (slow-wave sleep, which is the most restful sleep).

Older adults normally may have periods when their breathing stops during sleep (physiologic apnea). These periods are brief and do not cause daytime sleepiness. The person's blood oxygen level remains normal during these episodes.