- Sleep about 6 hours a night, if the sleep is continuous and restorative.
- Take one or two short naps during the day to complete your rest.
- Maintain a regular routine: get up and go to bed at fixed times.
- Avoid screens and stimulants at the end of the day.
- Don't feel guilty if you sleep less than before: it's neither a problem nor a pathology.
It makes me feel a bit better although I don't do nearly as well as I would like with the recommended daily napping. Somewhere along the line, I seem to have lost my ability to enjoy my once-usual, ten-minute nap. However, I do doze for very short intervals sometimes, which can be annoying if I lose the thread of a tv mystery, for example.
I will also not refer the article to Sue who, for some reason, nature has forced into the opposite direction, her requirements in seniordom having increased, not decreased.
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Having read the article, I kept track of my sleep via the Sleepwatch app for seven days. While I almost always check the reading in the morning, I usually only just look, shake my head despondingly, and go on my unmerry way. This time, I have paid attention over a longer period.
I slept less than 5 hours on 3 of the 7 nights, the lowest being 4:20. Two of three 3 nights were consecutive, which is far from ideal. One other sleep was not much better: only 5 hours right on. I managed 6 hours 3 times, the longest being 6:40. While that isn't bad, the other 2 were just 6:00 and 6:05. I feel better about life when the first digit reads 6, but that is just a mental comfort, for I sometimes note that I seem more tired after my longer sleeps.
A little more math revealed that I slept an average of 5:40 over those 7 days, so I guess that puts me almost in line with the article although it does recommend 6 hours/night.
I should think worrying about sleep would interfere with getting to sleep. I'm more in Sue's camp. Nap many afternoons, maybe 7 hours usually overnight.
ReplyDeleteSue is more like a 10 hour sleeper. She has gone the opposite way in older age. She wishes she could sleep less. I wish I could sleep a bit more.
DeleteWow! my hubby is up 3 times a night. I sleep until I wake, then listen to boring podcasts!
DeleteI'm above average I guess as I still probably get close to 7 hours most nights, as long as I shut my brain off before going to bed which can be hard to do at times. On the weekends when we have no obligations, I will also nap a couple hours during the day which never seems to affect my sleep at night which I find puzzling. Those are my recharging days.
ReplyDeleteThose times seem pretty good for you actually...and I compare them to the big "short sleepers" who have been made famous for their "power naps" or whatever they call them. I've got a post coming up which details short sleep and higher productivity...talking about 2 hours a day. No thank you, I'm really happy with my 8 or 9 still.
ReplyDeleteOn average, my sleep is about 7 hours although I have not used the Apple watch to check. Years ago, a Fitbit showed more sleep restlessness then I recognized, so now not knowing if preferable. Patrick enjoys afternoon naps as often as possible, but unless I nap while reading, I never take one.
ReplyDeleteI am in the same camp as Sue. I sleep more. I have never napped.
ReplyDeleteI find it hard to get out of bed on these cold mornings even if I am not sleeping.
ReplyDeleteYou sleep like a baby! I remember feeling like I could manage life if I could get 5 hours in a stretch. Babies don't always cooperate though.
ReplyDeleteI get 8-9 hours of sleep. I get up for the bathroom at least 2 times but fall right back to sleep. I often have a nap around 3 pm each day too. From that article it sound like I sleep too much but I need it.
ReplyDeleteI get 8 to 9 hours sleep.
ReplyDeleteIt is more about quality of sleep. I hardly observe anyone over 65 yr old sleeping more than 5 hours a night
ReplyDeleteIt's sad that many people turn to sleeping pills to give them sleep.
ReplyDeleteI am an 8 hour a day girl, generally speaking. However, sometimes, inexplicably, I wake up wide awake at o'dark-thirty. I generally just get up.
ReplyDeleteFive to six hours is good for me. I’m doing well with naps!
ReplyDeleteHi there, sleepless. I can't get the link to work for me. Could you cite the author and title? Sue and I would agree, but JG gets only a few hours and struggles.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the missing link. Wherever it was, it’s gone.
DeleteI'm more like Sue--though I have the occasional bout of sleeplessness.
ReplyDeleteI can't nap, either. Just never been able to. You are pretty close to the 6 recommended hours!
ReplyDeleteThe link to the article does not work -- the text was entered instead of the URL of the article.
ReplyDeleteThe link didn't work, but I did recently read an article regarding sleep and older folks, I guess our requirements change. I did track my sleep for a while and it caused more issues of me being disappointed at not 'getting' the proper hours in. 4-5-or 6 hours in their own strange patterns! I also noted that a 'long restful' sleep made me feel tired for most of the morning.
ReplyDeleteI'm up at 4:30 in the summer anyway. 30 yrs ago I could sleep 'til 10am.
Hopefully this gives you some peace of mind.
Thanks for this. It makes me feel better. These days I feel like I'm in the 5.5 to 6 hour zone. I always used to be eight-or-else. I hate to nap in the day and waste the light but sometimes poop out early evening for a bit. Do try to do a regular bed schedule though. I'm worse in the winter and better during Daylight Saving Time. I do miss those days of a good, solid sleep.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I sleep well - that is, more than five or six hours. At other times, I cannot get to sleep and read until the early hours. Barry could sleep on a clothes-line, but wakes several times, then listens to 'Oregon rainforest' sounds and is off again in seconds. It is rare for either of us to have to get up in the night.
ReplyDeleteI sleep about 4 hours a night. I'm in too much pain to sleep much more than that these days.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I've learned from being paralyzed is that everyone is different. In my case, the level of my injury, my age, local support facilities, and so on all make a huge difference in what I can actually do. Who knows, you may only need 5 hours. I also watch my phone for an hour or two before falling asleep; conventional advice doesn't fit for me.
ReplyDeleteI generally sleep about 7 hours 30 minutes....but sometimes 6 hours is all I get before I am wide awake. I have decided not to stress about it.
ReplyDeleteMy husband takes nap every so often. If I nap I would be up all night. I go to bed around 10 and get up between 6 and 7. Well today I got up at a little after 7:30
ReplyDeleteYou seem to get along on so few hours of sleep.
ReplyDeleteLarry often sleeps 10 or more hours in a night. I don't know how he does it. I sleep more now than I ever did, usually 8 hours, bit i am up 2 or 3 times in thd night for various reasons, and sometimes stay awake for a couple hours. No rhyme ir reason to my sleep patterns, although pain from shoulders, arms, or knees are the usual reason for frequent mini-wake-ups. Those happen 10- 20 times a night usually.
I'm not an expert but I think you worry too much about this. Your body generally will get the sleep it needs and if you feel tired during the day a nap is a good thing. However, you should do what makes you feel good. Have a great day today.
ReplyDeleteSue sleeps 10 hours? Woooow! That's awesome! I do get about 6 hours of sleep, but I still get tired. Art can fall asleep quickly. It takes me a lot of time to fall asleep.
ReplyDeleteI tend to get eight hours of sleep.
ReplyDelete