Does sleep improve with age?

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A0KB5X mature man sleeping in bed
A0KB5X mature man sleeping in bed



The accepted wisdom is that the quality of our sleep declines as we get older, but new research has claimed that the opposite may actually be true.


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A study in the US quizzed 150,000 people about their sleeping habits over the phone, and discovered that those in their 80s reported the best sleep.

The evidence collected by the Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology at the University of Pennsylvania suggests that - apart from a blip in people's 40s - sleep generally improves with age.

The study, published in Sleep journal, revealed that ill health and depression did have a negative impact on people's sleep - but after adjusting for this effect it was found that people over 70 claimed to be sleeping best.

The study was intended to prove the opposite, but the results took the researchers by surprise.

Dr Michael Grandner said: "These results force us to re-think what we know about sleep in older people - men and women.

"Even if sleep among older Americans is actually worse than in younger adults, feelings about it still improve with age."

What do you think? Has your sleep improved with age? Comment below...

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