DR. BRODSKIY’S GUIDE · LONGEVITY & HEALTHY AGING
Sleep and Healthy Aging: Start With the Basics
Raya Brodskiy, MD
Sleep is part of caring for your health. It helps your brain work well and supports your body. Poor sleep can make it harder to focus, manage your mood, or stay alert.
How much sleep do adults need?
Most adults need about seven to nine hours each night. Needs vary, and time in bed is not always time asleep.
Quality matters, too. If you spend enough time in bed but wake often or feel very sleepy during the day, the number of hours may not tell the whole story.
What habits can help?
Try to wake up and go to bed around the same time each day. Give yourself a quiet hour before bed. Keep your bedroom dark, quiet, and cool.
Caffeine late in the day can make sleep harder. Alcohol may make you feel sleepy at first, but it can disrupt sleep later. Regular daytime activity can help, too.
Choose one change to try for a week or two. A simple note of your bedtime, wake time, and daytime energy may help you spot a pattern.
Is poor sleep just part of getting older?
Sleep patterns can change with age. But ongoing trouble sleeping deserves attention. Pain, medicines, and sleep disorders may play a role.
Sleep apnea is one example. It causes breathing to stop and start during sleep. Loud snoring, gasping, or pauses in breathing may be clues. Some people also feel tired or sleepy during the day. A health care provider can decide whether testing is needed.
When should I ask for help?
Talk with your provider if sleep problems keep coming back or affect your days. Share your medicines and any sleep aids you use. Do not drive when you feel sleepy.
For long-lasting insomnia—trouble falling or staying asleep—a treatment called CBT-I is often the first choice. It teaches ways to change habits and thoughts that keep sleep problems going.
Better sleep is a health goal. It is not a promise to turn back your age.
