We often assume that it is normal for older people to get less sleep during the night than younger people. This assumption often is further explained by the assumption that "older people don't need as much sleep". In fact, both of these assumptions are open to question.

It is true that people over 50 years of age typically do get less than seven hours of sleep during the night, compared with eight hours for people 19 to 30 years old. This is partly because older people awaken more often during the night and partly because they usually wake up earlier in the morning. However, older people also appear to take more frequent daytime naps than young people, so an older person's total amount of sleep during a 24-hour period may be very close to the eight hours obtained by a younger person.

However, the quality of sleep that older people get is not as good as in younger people. The quality of the sleep is diminished when a night's sleep is broken up by wakefulness. Older people's sleep is lighter and more fragmented by periods of wakefulness than is the sleep of younger people.

Older people may be attempting to compensate for sleep lost during the night by napping. In some individuals, naps may make up for the amount of sleep lost, but they do not make up for the loss of sleep quality at night. In fact, some people's nap may simply compound the problem, both by making the person less sleepy at night, and by confusing their internal clock.

Some things you can do to assure you get a good night's sleep include:

• Eat regular meals.
• Get exercise every day.
• Go outside when you can.
• Eliminate daytime naps.
• Limit your caffeine and fluid intake after 7 pm.
• Make yourself get out of bed at a specific early hour every day.
• Learn relaxation techniques to avoid stress.
• Reassure yourself that brief nighttime awakenings are normal and you are actually getting enough sleep.

Excerpts from article by Ralph A. Pascualy, M.D. and Sally Warren Soest