# Old People and Sleep

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-people-and-sleep/161725>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 16, 2003, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-people-and-sleep/161725 "2003-03-16T03:54:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![punkkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7feea3/32.png) [@punkkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/punkkid)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2003, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-people-and-sleep/161725/1 "2003-03-16T03:54:45Z")

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Why do old people wake up so early? I know cause its the sleep early, wake up early cycle, but why do it in the first place? Is it a physiological thing? Do our bodies force us to wake up earlier as we age? I’d think, after a lifetime of waking up early for school, work, college, blah, blah, blah…, you’d wanna get some sleep.

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**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2003, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-people-and-sleep/161725/2 "2003-03-16T04:25:30Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Another common age-associated sleep change relates to the circadian rhythm of the typical sleep period. Although exceptions exist, elderly persons tend to go to sleep earlier in the evening and to awaken earlier in the morning. Early-morning awakening is a common complaint in the elderly. Some people find it annoying to awaken spontaneously at 4:30 a.m. instead of at 6:30 a.m. In these persons, if the onset of evening sleep is not correspondingly earlier, sleep deprivation and excessive daytime sleepiness may result.
> 
> Daytime napping may compound the problem by reducing the drive for sleep at the usual bedtime hour, resulting in delayed sleep onset and a further decrease in the duration of nighttime sleep.

from [this article.](http://www.aafp.org/afp/990501ap/2551.html)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![punkkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7feea3/32.png) [@punkkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/punkkid)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2003, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-people-and-sleep/161725/3 "2003-03-16T15:45:13Z")

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I see. So the cycle gets sort of displaced, somewhat.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2003, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-people-and-sleep/161725/4 "2003-03-16T15:55:06Z")

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Seems so, from what I understood from the article. It didn’t really delve into the reasons _why_, though. Perhaps someone with experience in geriatrics can explain.

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**Author:** ![Lostboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Lostboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lostboy)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2003, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-people-and-sleep/161725/5 "2003-03-16T17:00:09Z")

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I believe our melatonin levels decrease as we age, which messes up our circadian rythym.

I know my father(mid 50’s) has been complaining recently about waking up at 4 A.M. and not being able to get back to sleep.

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**Author:** ![punkkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7feea3/32.png) [@punkkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/punkkid)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-people-and-sleep/161725/6 "2003-03-19T02:10:06Z")

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I get ‘have’ to get up at 6:30 am to be at school at 7:30. Almost consistently I get up at 4:30-5 and can’t fall back asleep. Gah, you’de hate to see me old. BTW, I also stay awake late too.