How Your Sleep Needs Change Throughout Life
Your sleeping patterns can change as you age. Here's what to know about maximizing your sleep in every stage of your life.
On the surface, sleep is about feeling good each day and having the energy to complete the day's tasks. Let's dig deeper because sleep is much more than that.
Sleep is an integral part of living. Yes, we need it to survive, just as we need food and water. It impacts nearly every system in the body. The amount of good quality sleep you get directly affects your brain, heart, lungs, immune system, metabolism, mood and more. This fact remains true no matter what stage of life you're in.
Although there is no doubting the importance of sleep, what defines optimal sleep depends on your age and unique needs. Sleep needs change throughout life. Here's how they change and some things to know to help avoid sleep issues.
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Sleep in infancy and early childhood
Sleep is vital to the cognitive and physical development of babies and children. Studies show a positive relationship between proper sleep and cognitive development, executive function, language development and memory in babies and young children.
Sleep recommendations for infancy through early childhood
Although good sleep is often not an option for many new parents, newborns need the most sleep of any age group. Babies initially sleep between 16 to 18 hours every 24 hours, although their sleep hours are rarely consecutive due to the need for eating and diaper changes. From there, recommended sleep begins to decrease gradually.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine makes the following sleep recommendations (including naps) by age:
- Ages 4 to 12 months: 12 to 16 hours
- Ages 1 to 2 years: 11 to 14 hours
- Ages 3 to 5 years: 10 to 13 hours
- Ages 6 to 12 years: 8 to 10 hours
How to improve sleep for infants and young children
You may wonder how to ensure proper sleep for your little one through growing pains, illnesses, teething, sleep regressions and more. Sleep experts say that consistency in routines is key. Here are some sleep recommendations to stick with that can apply to infants and young children.
- Make a calming bedtime routine a norm. This may include things like a warm bath, a darkened room and white noise from a sound machine. Be sure others caring for your child stick to the routine.
- Lay the baby down tired and ready to sleep. Whether you rock your little one or read bedtime books, don't lay them down in bed until they're drowsy and ready to sleep. This helps them develop an understanding of their bed and the confidence to fall asleep on their own. Try to avoid letting them go into a full sleep before laying them down.
- Don't react too quickly. If your baby or child starts to get fussy in their crib and you know they are not ill, give them time to self-soothe before returning.
Sleep in adolescence
Teenagers may not need as much sleep as they did when they were newborns, but adequate sleep is still just as important for intellectual, physical and emotional development. Good sleep may not be easy for teens.
During puberty, studies show testosterone levels in boys increasing to 26 times pre-puberty levels and estradiol in girls increasing to 10 times pre-puberty levels. This dramatic shift is accompanied by a large increase in growth hormone for both boys and girls. In addition to major biological development, the teenage years are often marked by big social changes. This combination of physical and social development can cause disruptions in a teen's usual sleep patterns.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that between 57% and 72% of adolescents did not get proper sleep on school nights. Teens who don't get enough sleep have a higher risk of medical conditions and diseases like diabetes, obesity, poor mental health, injuries and poor attention and behavior.
Read more: The Impact of Sleep on Your Teen's Mental Health
Sleep recommendations for adolescents
The CDC recommends 8 to 10 hours of sleep per 24 hours for teens aged 13 to 18. Unlike babies and young children, many teens do not nap, so the 8 to 10 hours of sleep needed must happen consecutively.
Sleep hygiene for adolescents
These are some general tips for teenagers to improve their sleep hygiene and get adequate sleep.
- Be consistent. Strive for a regular bedtime schedule on school nights and non-school nights to avoid getting off track on the weekends. This also helps to avoid bigger issues like delayed sleep phase syndrome, which around 9 to 10% of teens develop.
- Use the bed for sleep only. Avoid other activities like school work, listening to music or using technology.
- Get moving. Make exercise part of the daily routine.
- Optimize the bedroom for sleep. Keep the room cool, dark and quiet. Consider things like white noise and black-out window shades.
- Avoid stimulants. Do not consume caffeine in the late afternoon and avoid alcohol, smoking or sleep aids entirely.
Sleep in adulthood
During adulthood, we've reached developmental maturity. Like every other animal in the animal kingdom, adults still need sleep. The National Institute of Health says that most adults need at least seven hours of sleep each night. That good sleep is as important for good health as diet and exercise. Not getting it raises the risk of diseases and disorders.
As with other stages of life, there are obstacles to good sleep for adults. Work stresses, relationships, child-raising and financial concerns are just a few life happenings that may cause your sleep to suffer.
Read more: Trouble Sleeping? These 42 Expert Sleep Tips Can Help
Health issues that impact sleep for adults
As we age, so does our risk of developing health issues like diseases and disorders. Here are some conditions that may impact a good night's sleep.
Tips for improving sleep in adulthood
If you're having consistent difficulty sleeping, it's wise to speak with your medical doctor. If something like sleep apnea is the culprit, you may benefit from a CPAP machine. If you have no known medical conditions that can be treated to assist with better sleep, here are some tips for improving your sleep quality.
- Make sleep a priority. As a busy adult, it's easy to brush off sleep as an option, but it is a necessity to live. Treat it that way.
- Avoid stimulants. Avoid things like alcohol, caffeine and sugar in the evenings, or better yet, eliminate them entirely.
- Establish a routine. Try to stick to a consistent bedtime and wake-up routine that works for you.
- Power down before bed. To eliminate exposure to blue light before bed, turn off your electronics at least two hours before time to sleep.
- Set the stage for sleep. Keep your room cool, dark and quiet.
- Nap. If something like new parenthood is keeping you up at night, there may not be much you can do about that. If the opportunity is available during the day for napping, take it.
Sleep in older adults
Although recommended sleep per day decreases as we age, the importance of sleep to good health doesn't. Older adults still need at least seven hours of quality sleep in a 24-hour period. The aging brain produces less melatonin, which can cause upheaval in the circadian rhythm, making it difficult for older adults to sleep sounds or for long periods of time. Research shows that 50% of older adults have sleep problems, compared to 15.9 to 22.3% of the general population.
Health issues that cause poor sleep in older adults
In addition to the normal aging process, medical conditions and medications (like diuretics, beta-blockers, antidepressants, etc.) may also result in poor sleep. The risk for diseases and disorders continues to increase as we age, and it is common for older adults to have more than one of these conditions.
- Osteoarthritis
- Cardiovascular disease
- Pulmonary disorder
- Psychiatric illnesses
- Diabetes
- Gastroesophageal reflux
- Cancer
- Arthritis
- Chronic pain syndrome
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Sleep apnea
- Dementia
- Sleep disorders are also more prevalent among the aging population. Some common sleep disorders that impact older adults are:
- Insomnia
- Sleep apnea
- Rapid eye movement sleep disorder
- Circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders
How can older adults get healthy sleep?
Here are some tips to promote healthy sleep in older adults.
- Skip the afternoon nap. If a late afternoon nap is keeping you from a consistent bedtime routine, it's time to skip the nap.
- Create a consistent routine. Try to get to bed and wake up around the same time each day.
- Skip the stimulants. Avoid things like alcohol, caffeine and sugar in the evenings, or better yet, eliminate them entirely.
- Turn off the electronics. To eliminate exposure to blue light before bed, turn off your electronics at least two hours before time to sleep.
- Make your room comfortable. Keep your room cool, dark and quiet.
- Exercise. Exercise daily but not within 3 hours of when you plan to go to bed.
- Have a small supper. If you like large meals, go for a larger breakfast or lunch and a small supper. This will help avoid stomach issues while you're trying to sleep.
- Speak with a medical professional. If you can't get on a good sleep routine, speak with your doctor to help determine the cause and what you can do to change it.