Why do elderly people sleep so much?
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ANSWERS: 40
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You are categorizing old people with this syndrome, whereas its not age that warrants this. I know teenagers that sleep more than some older people.. I am in my mid 50's and yes I take a 1/2 hour nap in the afternoon if I can but its only because I get 3-4 hours of sleep at nighttime. But to answer your question "as it is asked" would be to say that they have nothing else to do, or that they are sickly. Sometimes when people get to be a certain age, or lose their spouse, they have nothing to live for, and kinda give up and wait to die... they sleep alot. But age (over 18) has nothing to do with sleeping more than 8 hours a day.
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I am forty, shhhh, do not tell any one, I get up at 4am to go to work, and yes, I am in bed by 9pm. Only because I have to get up so awful early, but come Friday night my daughter and I are off and running. This Friday I went straight from work to a party boat. We went out for blues, got home at 4 in the morning we slept until 9 in the morning and she and I where off again, we went scouting for a nice quite spot for bow season. Not all people that are older take naps, it could also be that dad has better things to do, that leaves me MOM to the rescue (O:
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Eary to bed early to rise is neccessary. It is the elderly that must get up at 4am to get the world started for the young late risers. By the time the young drag themselves out of bed the elderly have already worked half a day correcting the mistakes made by the young the previous day.
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My Mother is 96, she goes to bed at 9.00. Wakes around 7.30 I get her a cup of tea & she goes back to sleep till 10-10.30 when I bring her breakfast. She then sleeps till 1.00 or 2.00 whenI bring her tea & a cake & packet of crisps. She settles down for another sleep till 4.30ish, when she has another cup of tea. Then she watches t.v. till 5 Then she comes downstairs (in her dressing gown & watches t.v.I get her supper at 6, then she goes back to bed at 9.00. She can't do much else as she has arthritis in both knees & suffers with parkinsons which uses lots of involuntary energy. She is always tired.Thats why she sleeps so much.
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That is a broad stroke. I know/have known elderly people who sleep very little.
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They are practicing for the BIG sleep
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i thought elderly slept only a little? they seem to wake up 5am
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Because daytime TV sucks ass.
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As people age, their sleep habits are disrupted for any number of reasons. They sleep badly at night because they might have pain, might have restless leg syndrome (Seinfeld called it "Crazy Jimmy Legs" which is hysterical). I am in my late 50s and everything wakes me up. Car doors slamming, husband snoring, water drips from sink, clock ticking, my hands go numb.... blahblahblah. Yes, so as we get older and sleep poorly at night, we tend to nap during day. Hmmm. I always liked naps... I wonder what that bodes for my old age? LOL
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They don't get the nutrients they did when they were younger.
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As people age, sleeping through the entire night happens less and less. Therefore, those people are sleepy during the day.
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We errr I mean they sleep less. They just nap during the day, because they are up half the night peeing and it always seems like they are asleep.
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So that we can beat you in the next tennis match!!!
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Elderly people tend, on average, to sleep less than younger people, unless they are ill.
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My husband is 83 years old and he sleeps most of the day and usually 7-10 hours at night. Is this normal?
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i've always thought babies slept more?
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I've actually experienced the opposite. My grandmother had a lot of trouble sleeping without the use of sleep aids towards the end of her life.
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Actually the elderly sleep less as they can't sleep a whole night through and they take little naps during the day, but total hours is much less than when they were younger.
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As a rule they get up early and tend to need a nap at 10:30 AM and then go well into the late afternoon. They seem to run out of gas at 6:00 after an early dinner and are ready for bed at 7:30 right after jeopardy.
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They do not have the vigor that they did when they were younger. Plus, a lot of them are retired so shoot, they have worked years and years and are finally able to get some good rest.
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They sleep less than any other age group. Babies sleep the most but you'd never know it.
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I think, when they were so young, they didn't get the chance to sleep too long, they were busy with their work and other activities, they couldn't sleep because of work stress, tension and other things. Now they can't do whatever they used to do, that's why they are dreaming about their past in their sleep.
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A lot of them have medical problems. Prostate, bladder and Kidney will keep them up most of the night. So they've got to catch some shut eye some time. You'll all be there someday too.
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Because they are tired.
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Not all of them do. I consider myself an elderly person and I suffer from insomnia.
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Ice man This question dates back to the earliest days of the original AB, and is about as clever as asking "Why do idiots ask stupid questions? " ; ) -
Ice man That being said, watch for my next question ...lol
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Linda Joy Looking forward to it! Going to your profile now!
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I have gone from not being able to sleep to sleeping a lot. I have had a full schedule and an injury to contend with. Exhaustion and getting well are the only things I can think for the reason. I'm on two weeks vacation and my body is saying, "time for a break."
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BECAUSE WE CAN THAT IS WHY!!!!!
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Why do young people want to sleep until noon? "Also, older people often sleep less deeply and wake up more often throughout the night, which may be why they may nap more often during the daytime. Nighttime sleep schedules may change with age too. Many older adults tend to get sleepier earlier in the evening and awaken earlier in the morning. May 10, 2009"
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cause theyre older and get tired more
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Some do and some don't. I am 70-years-old, and I usually sleep 9 hours, the same number of hours when I was 20-years-old.
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Hmm, I'm usually falling out by 10 PM, and then up again at 3 or 4 AM to pee, then trying to get back to sleep until about 5, when I finally give up and get up. I often take a nap later in the day though. Only about a half an hour though.
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I have sleep apnea. I've suffered from insomnia and now I'm on chemo. There are lots of reasons as you can see (if you're even still here to see) that SOME elderly people sleep a lot, others don't. Some medications they take make them sleep a lot, too.
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Linda Joy
I liked Alias xsicajess answer: "They are practicing for the BIG sleep"
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I function best getting up early. I set my alarm for 6:15 AM and try to get to bed by 10:15 PM. Often I don't get in bed until around 11:30 or so, resulting in not as much sleep as I'd like. What was the question again?
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I don't know. My doctor says they only need about 6 hrs a day.
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they sleep less..may go to bed early but are awake before the birds
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Don't know if I qualify as elderly yet, but throughout my life I have always felt better when I get nine hours of sleep. Much of the time I had to make do with way less, but not anymore.
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The energy level (and metabolism) slowly decreases each year you live.. You start out a 'speed freak' as a child, then that gradually declines as you age. Nearly everything slows down, other than perception of time, and sleep becomes more enjoyable as dreams supplant nightmares. Plus old age brings an increase in boredom.
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It's actually said that the elderly require LESS sleep than younger people do. They certainly need less than adolescents do. Obviously someone who's ill may require more.
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they tire easily
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One of the reasons is that they don't stay properly hydrated. As we age our water consumption lessens because we don't show outward signs of thirst and thus drink less water. Water has many functions in the body, one of which is to provide energy. Less water = less energy and less energy = fatigue. [] Also, they've done just about everything they want by the time they reach their advanced years, so nothing excites them that much anymore. Life slows down and, frankly, it gets rather boring.
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Victorine
Simply untrue.
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Boola Boo 
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