• Topic
• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Age, ageing and changes in sleep >> Age, ageing and changes in sleep

Age, ageing and changes in sleep

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Going to the toilet in the night >> Going to the toilet in the night

Going to the toilet in the night

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Daytime sleep >> Daytime sleep

Daytime sleep

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Making sense of poor sleep >> Making sense of poor sleep

Making sense of poor sleep

• Clip
• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Men aged 65-74 >> Mike - Interview 12 >> Mike felt if he did start to nap it would signify he was getting older.

Mike works part-time as a test centre administrator. He has noticed a change in his sleep as he has got older, noticeably that he has periods of deeper sleep, but he doesn’t believe he sleeps any longer than he used to. Mike noticed his sleep changed when he first had children, and finds that pattern has continued.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Women aged 75+ >> Daphne - Interview 29 >> Daphne has read somewhere that older people don’t need so much sleep.

Daphne has been retired for a few years, but has had a variety of very interesting professions, such as officer in the WAAF, fashion model and actress. On the whole she finds she sleeps well, but would like to have more than the five or six hours she currently has. Daphne believes sleep is very important, but would only really be concerned if she felt she couldn’t get to sleep.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Men aged 75+ >> Otto - Interview 36 >> Otto wonders that if he, like Margaret Thatcher, needs only about four or five hours sleep now he is older.

Otto has been widowed for four years and has 2 children and one grandchild. Otto is a retired design engineer and was in the RAF during the second world war. Otto likes to keep active by walking a lot and also has an exercise bicycle. His main problems with sleep are that he finds he has to get up in the night to go to the toilet, and then finds he can’t get back to sleep, usually because he finds thoughts and worries go round and round his head.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Women aged 65-74 >> Dessie - Interview 17 >> Dessie will ring one of her very good friends every morning to talk about how they both slept the night before.

Dessie feels her sleep has got a lot worse, especially since she lost her husband. She finds she sometimes wakes up in the very early hours of the morning and can’t get back to sleep at all. Dessie is very active and likes to keep herself very busy, working in the garden, visiting friends and helping her family.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Men aged 65-74 >> John - Interview 15 >> John isn’t sure whether he is waking up because he wants to go to the toilet, but wonders whether the water tablet he is taking may be the cause.

John feels that a good night’s sleep for him would be about 7 hours, and the amount of sleep he gets is important to him, even if it is interrupted. Currently John feels he only gets about 5 ½ to 6 hours sleep and would like to get more, but would not seek help from his doctor until he felt lack of sleep impacted on whether he could drive safely. John tries to avoid sleeping during the day because he feels it will impact on how well he sleeps at night.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Men aged 65-74 >> Mike - Interview 12 >> Mike doesn’t like the idea of having to take a nap during the day because he believes that would indicate he is getting older.

Mike works part-time as a test centre administrator. He has noticed a change in his sleep as he has got older, noticeably that he has periods of deeper sleep, but he doesn’t believe he sleeps any longer than he used to. Mike noticed his sleep changed when he first had children, and finds that pattern has continued.

• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Men aged 65-74 >> Ronald - Interview 01 >> Ronald has found that as he has got older he goes to the toilet a lot more in the night.

Ronald finds he usually gets about 6 ½ to 7 hours sleep a night, but this is disturbed by having to get up and go to the toilet. Although he usually drops off to sleep straight away, occasionally he finds he can’t get to sleep, or wakes up in the night and can’t get back to sleep, so on these occasions he tries counting sheep, but this doesn’t always work. Ronald noticed a change in his sleep pattern when he took early retirement because of health problems, and the change in his daily routine.

• Condition
• Later life >> Sleep problems in later life >> Sleep problems in later life

Publication date:  9th November 2009          Review date: under review

 

Sleep is important for health and well-being but it is increasingly recognised that sleep quality declines with age, and many older people experience trouble getting to sleep, staying asleep, and waking early. We interviewed 33 people about their experiences of poor sleep. Select from the six key topics below, choose from the 'Full list of topics', or explore all the interviews.