Sleep is a state of reduced mental and physical activity in which consciousness is altered and sensory activity is inhibited to a certain extent.
During sleep, there is a decrease in muscle activity, and interactions with the surrounding environment.
There are many jokes that center around older adults waking up before the sun, and even more about teenagers’ late-sleeping habits.
Turns out there’s truth to them: The time our body naturally goes to sleep and wakes up is not only part of our genetics, but part of the natural aging process, too.
As we age, our bodies change both internally and externally, which is a major factor behind the sleep changes that come later in life.
“Like most of the things that change with age, there’s not just one reason, and they are all interconnected,” said Cindy Lustig, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan.
We asked Lustig and other experts to break down the main reasons why this occurs, and what you can do to push back if you just want those few extra hours of Zzzs.
Like other aspects of our physical and mental health, the brain becomes less responsive as we age.
So, for a younger person, dinner time may help the brain understand that bedtime is in a few hours; for someone older, this connection may not happen.
The nerves that are supposed to give the brain time cues have undergone the same amount of degeneration as the brain, Parthasarathy said.
This inability to sense time cues is part of the reason why older people tend to get tired before their children or grandchildren.
And, as a result, wake up fully rested and earlier than the rest of the world.
