Sleep is important, no matter what your age. Experts recommend adults sleep between 7 and 9 hours a night, but sleep needs change slightly as you age.
You hear about the importance of sleep throughout your life, and the messaging may change over the years. As you grow older, the focus may shift to mitigating or delaying chronic diseases and conditions.
The
Though everyone is different, some physical and mental health issues may affect you at certain stages of life.
While the importance of sleep at every life stage stays constant, some reasons you need sleep and the amount you need can change over the years.
The
- People ages 18 to 60 should get at least 7 hours of sleep per night.
- People ages 61 to 64 need 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night.
- People ages 65 and older need 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night.
The
Sleeping more than 9 hours may be appropriate for young adults, people recovering from illness, or people trying to catch up on sleep. It’s generally not recommended for healthy adults.
“The amount of sleep adults need remains consistent throughout their lifetime,” said Lauri Leadley, a registered polysomnographic technologist, clinical sleep educator, and president of Valley Sleep Center.
Still, she acknowledged that sleep can get more challenging as you age.
“Older people spend less time in the deeper REM stages of sleep, causing an issue for consistent deep sleep,” she said. “In addition, the circadian rhythm changes with age, causing earlier sleeping hours and earlier awakening hours.”
What are the sleep stages?
The
| Stage 1 | Non-REM sleep | Heartbeat, breathing, and eye movements slow down. |
| Stage 2 | Non-REM sleep | Heartbeat and breathing continue to slow. Temperature drops. Eye movements cease. Brain activity slows with brief intervals of electrical activity. |
| Stage 3 | Non-REM sleep | Heartbeat and breathing slow to the lowest levels of sleep. Muscles relax. It may be hard to wake up. |
| Stage 4 | REM sleep | Eyes move from side to side rapidly, despite being closed. Mixed brain activity. Dreams typically occur in this stage. |
Though you reach legal adulthood at age 18, the brain continues to develop until the
Leadley says quality sleep is essential to this development. During this time, you need sleep for:
- supporting continued brain development
- organizing and storing memories
- keeping up with academic and professional life
- maintaining mental and emotional health
- maintaining energy levels for day-to-day life
“Quality sleep aids the brain’s ability to organize and store memories,” she said. “Without it, one may feel forgetful more often. Lack of sleep may also result in the development of artificial memories.”
For example, a person may have an “artificial memory” that they turned the stove off before heading out to work.
“Quality sleep aids the brain’s ability to organize and store memories.”
— Lauri Leadley, Sleep Educator
Busy lives
Often, people in their late teens and early 20s are attending college, trade school, graduate programs, or starting their careers, all of which can affect sleep.
“Being […] in school or starting work also results in later nights out, and [people often keep] an early wake schedule to get to work,” said Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board certified psychiatrist, sleep medicine expert, and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine.
“This particular combination can lead to insufficient sleep times,” he noted. Insufficient sleep times may affect students’ mental health.
A 2025 study measuring the prevalence of stress, anxiety, depression, and sleep quality among young adults during the pandemic found that almost half of the subjects experienced stress, anxiety, and depression. Most of them had poor sleep quality.
A review of research published in 2021 showed that better sleep quality improves mental well-being.
Priorities
Dimitriu and Leadley said the root cause of sleep deprivation in the late teens and early 20s often comes down to not prioritizing it.
Shifting perspective on rest as a must-do instead of a nice-to-do can help mitigate issues caused by a lack of sleep. It can also lay a foundation for good sleep habits moving forward.
“Your relationships and careers won’t be worth anything if you sacrifice sleep,” Leadley said.
She compares sleep to charging your cellphone battery.
“Think of your sleep as your energy source for your brain and body. If we don’t plug in our cell phones, it doesn’t get us through the day,” she says. “If you don’t charge your body’s battery, eventually it will run down … or not work well.”
Your brain may be fully developed in your late 20s and 30s, but sleep is still essential. During this life stage, sleep is important for:
- adapting to major life events
- preserving energy if you choose to become a parent
- maintaining performance in work and life
- maintaining mental and emotional health
This time may involve huge landmarks, like marriage and parenthood.
Love and marriage (and babies)
This is the period when some adults may choose to partner up and become parents.
According to the Census report, the average age of a first-time marriage was 28.5 for women and 30.2 for men in the United States in 2024. The average age a person becomes a mother for the first time in the United States was 27.3 years, according to Pew Research Center’s 2023 report.
It’s not just a cliche that sleep changes during the postpartum period.
Insomnia and poor sleep quality are common among perinatal women. Results from a study published in 2021 suggest that insufficient sleep — less than 7 hours per night — during the early
postpartum period is associated with accelerated biological aging.
The American Thyroid Association estimates 5% to 10% of women experience postpartum thyroiditis, inflammation thought to be due to an autoimmune condition. Insomnia is a side effect of this condition.
Work and life performance
Dimitriu added that career growth can also cause stress and cause a person to lose sleep. As these life changes pile up, people may cast aside habits that previously helped them sleep to free up more time.
Research shows that’s problematic, because a lack of sleep can negatively affect a person’s ability to perform well at home and work.
Results from a 2022 study suggested, “that workers with more insomnia symptoms on average reported engaging in fewer required and voluntary safety behaviors and were at a greater risk for workplace injuries.”
A 2019 study suggested that mothers who got insufficient sleep were less likely to implement positive parenting techniques.
But Dimitriu pointed out that stress can make it more difficult to sleep. He suggests:
- exercise
- meditation
- regular bed and wake times
- connecting with friends and family outside of your immediate household
New sleep concerns may emerge in your 40s. These include:
- sleep apnea
- reduced sleep quality
- daytime sleepiness and fatigue
- hormonal changes
- reduced melatonin production
Sleep remains important to maintain:
- mental and emotional health
- recovery from stress
- exercise recovery
Sleep apnea
The condition is more common in men, often developing even earlier.
The study also suggested that mild to severe sleep apnea was prevalent in men at age 20 and continued to increase until they reached age 80.
The condition may reduce sleep quality. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine lists “excessive daytime sleepiness” as a symptom of the condition.
Jeff Rodgers, DMD, D-ABDSM, D-ASBA, a Georgia-based sleep apnea expert, said obstructive sleep apnea can cause fragmented sleep, which occurs when you bounce around in sleep stages.
“We all need light, deep, and REM sleep,” Rodgers says. “Most people are aware that REM sleep is when you’re dreaming. Think of fragmented sleep as an interruption in your dream. You literally may bounce out of REM too soon and have some light sleep or even wake up.”
Dimitriu suggests that individuals in their 40s visit their doctor to evaluate the risk and likelihood of sleep apnea and seek further testing if necessary.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says lifestyle changes, such as losing any excess weight to reach a moderate weight or using a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, can help treat sleep apnea.
Dimitriu also suggests limiting alcohol intake.
The
Hormonal changes
Menopause typically takes place during a 10-year span. A 2024 report in The Journal of The Menopause Society noted that sleep disturbance is one of the most common — and challenging — symptoms experienced by women going through this transitional life stage.
“The declining estrogen levels that occur during menopause, as well as sleep sweats, are associated with insomnia,” Leadley said. “Estrogen plays a key role in brain function as well as the impact of sleep.”
Melatonin production
A 2020 review notes that production of melatonin decreases between the ages of 40 and 45. Rodgers notes this decline could affect the sleep-wake cycle.
Despite all these changes, it’s essential to continue emphasizing good sleep habits at this age.
“Good sleep is important for memory, mental health, ability to deal with stressors, and recovery from physical exertion,” said Rodgers.
Some people may wish to take melatonin supplements to make up for the decrease in their natural production of it.
Exercise
Leadley recommends a more permanent solution instead.
“Exercise is the key,” she said. “Your muscles and tissues are repaired during this slow-wave sleep period, [the deepest phase of sleep], so if you give your body more repair work due to increased physical exertion, your body will respond with more slow-wave sleep. Aim for 30 minutes or more of moderate aerobic activity every other day.”
“If you give your body more repair work due to increased physical exertion, your body will respond with more slow-wave sleep.”
— Lauri Leadley, Sleep Educator
Physical health concerns related to sleep increase with age.
Heart disease
The likelihood of heart disease increases with age, with individuals ages 60 and over at the highest risk, according to the
Because obstructive sleep apnea causes drops in oxygen flow, Rodgers says it can lead to conditions and events like:
A 2021 study of adults with a mean age of 61 suggested that insomnia was highly prevalent in people with coronary heart disease.
But some medications used to manage heart disease can interfere with sleep, Rodgers says, such as beta-blockers. He suggests speaking with healthcare professionals about potential effects on sleep and flagging them if they occur after beginning treatment.
Loneliness
Physical health issues are not the only sleep-related concern at this age.
The
Research shows a link between loneliness, social isolation, and sleep problems.
Dimitriu suggests turning the time to oneself into an additional cause to focus on sleep.
Focus on a healthy lifestyle
“As careers get established and kids grow up, it’s a perfect time to focus more on one’s health and longevity,” Dimitriu said.
He suggests:
- getting back into a regular sleep routine if you broke out of it in previous years
- maintaining healthy habits, such as exercise
To sleep better at night, you can also:
- Limit caffeine late in the day.
- Limit alcohol intake.
- Avoid taking long naps.
- Avoid eating too close to bedtime.
- Optimize your bedroom for sleep.
Did you know?
Medicare may help cover sleep studies if you show signs of sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and parasomnia.
Sleep is important throughout our lives.
Though the amount of sleep we need tends to remain consistent throughout adulthood, different physical and lifestyle changes may affect our sleep as we age. Experts suggest prioritizing sleep throughout your life, as it can help reduce the risk of physical and mental health conditions.