Last week I discussed the sleep needs of boomers. In the past, it was thought that when we get older we need less sleep. Not true. While it’s true that sleep needs decline with age early in life, this doesn’t hold up once we reach young adulthood.  For example, as babies we need a ton of sleep, 14-17 hours a day. Then sleep needs progressively decline with age to 8-10 hours for teens. But when we reach young adulthood, and extending through the boomer years, sleep needs level off and we need 7-9 hours.

Sleep experts provide a range from 7-9 hours because sleep needs can vary, and you no doubt know how much sleep you require to wake up refreshed, and feel really good throughout the day. If you don’t get enough sleep there are many negative implications, ranging from waking up tired and lacking energy, to gaining weight and even increasing your risk of serious chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes.

As we get older we tend to become more interested in health issues. Since a good night’s sleep is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, we also tend to value sleep more than we did when we were younger. Ironically, although getting enough sleep becomes more important, we often get less than we need. There are several reasons for this.


As we move along into the boomer years and beyond, our sleep architecture, or pattern of sleep, tends to change. By pattern, I mean there are several stages of sleep that we repeat again and again throughout the night. The pattern can be just as important, or even more so, than the number of hours of sleep you get.

Sleep patterns occur in several stages, ranging from dreamless light to deep sleep, with mixed in periods of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep in which active dreaming occurs. For us boomers, sleep studies show that there is a reduced period of REM sleep, the deepest and most refreshing stage. This is compounded by two problems. One is taking much longer to fall asleep (sleep latency), and the other is frequently waking up during the night (sleep fragmentation).

Another sleep problem can be attributable to changes in our circadian rhythms, the predictable timing of bodily functions. Older folks often tend to fall asleep early in the evening, earlier than they normally would when younger. In turn, waking up extra early occurs, throwing biologic rhythms out of whack as sleep is moved forward. Although it’s possible to get enough hours of sleep, pattern problems like waking up frequently and not getting enough REM sleep increase.


A major problem that interferes with sleep is chronic pain, like joint pain from osteoarthritis where bone rubs on bone. For example, after falling asleep, if we move an arthritic joint in certain ways that we consciously avoid when awake, the sudden pain awakens us. There also is chronic aching that is low level and tolerable for the most part, but it’s disturbing enough to interfere with sleep.

Prescription and over the counter drugs can wreak havoc on sleep. In addition, medical problems that are ignored when awake can show up when asleep. For example, high blood pressure has no symptoms and can be sky high without your knowing. But when sleeping, that same high blood pressure can contribute to loud snoring. The snoring may wake you up, but if not, your spouse can be affected.

Being overweight can cause sleep apnea, failure to breathe at times that wakes you up. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), common in older folks, may not bother you when awake and upright, but as soon as you recline, it acts up. For men, an enlarged prostate can wake you several times a night for bathroom visits, and a very low testosterone level can mess with your sleep. And for us women, there is our old adversary, menopause, with its hot flashes and disruption of hormonal levels.


My goodness, after reading the above, it sounds like once you hit a certain age, getting a good night’s sleep is out of the question. Not so. There are some things you can control and some you can’t. Knowing what you can control and doing so may help your cause. It’s worth a try.

More on this next week.

Anita Miles Curpier is a registered dietitian and has considerable experience in hospital and clinically based nutrition therapy. Contact her at

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