There’s a stereotype of the elderly as “morning people”; they go to bed early and get up early. The young have the opposite stereotype, especially college students. Heck, getting tired earlier and earlier is a comic staple sign of aging.
I myself am a night owl, have been since my infancy, according to my parents. I get up late and sleep late when I can. So I wonder: as I get older, will I inevitably become less of a night person? If most people are forced into becoming morning people by work schedules, would a shift happen even if work didn’t force them to get up early?
In other words, will I still be tempted to sleep in when I’m 80, or am I destined want to go to bed at 7 pm? Are there any studies or statistics to tell me either way?
Well, I’m pretty sure I was forced into it by work. In high school, I bitterly resented having to get up before ten. As a college student, I often stayed up late reading and didn’t get up until three in the afternoon. As I got older and moved farther from where I work, I got used to getting up earlier and earlier, to the point where my definition of “sleeping in” now includes 6:30 am. I currently get by on about six hours of sleep (well, I did until the baby came – now five is a luxury) and take a nap in the evening.
Sleep habits do indeed change as one ages, although of course not every person in an age group will display the typical (or stereotypical) habits of that group.
An old professor of mine did a lot of sleep research, and he found that older people do often rise very early. This does not mean they don’t need the same amount of sleep, but that their bodies for whatever reason can’t handle it in such large chunks, leading them to wake at, say, 5:00 every morning but to take several naps during the day.
I think ones schedule and age does affect sleeping habits. Between work and children I know that I sleep less these days than when I was single. Even my wife who could log in 8-9 hours of sleep per night does not sleep as long as she used to.We are in our 40’s. I have 2 teens and they can sleep for 10 hours if allowed. I only sleep maybe 6-7 hours but naps are appreciated.How Much Sleep Do We Need provides some more insight.
Yesterday for the first time in quite a while I managed to sleep until 6:20. I’m usually up by 3:00 to 5:00. I guess that’s why I got up at 11:00 PM tonight, unable to even start.
So, yes, I think they change. 40 years ago I could sleep 12 hours.