Each person, irrespective of their age, needs a proper shut eye every night. A proper sleeping schedule is necessary for us to perform at our level best. But one question that has given researchers many sleepless nights is whether people require less sleep once they become older?

Well, adults above the age of 60 do need less sleep than high school students who are encouraged to sleep for up to 10 hours each night. However, an eight hour sleep is still recommended for people of such age.

Such an age group finds it difficult to sleep. The main issues that they face are that they sleep early and hence, wake up early. Once they are up, they find it problematic to fall asleep again. Such a hindrance in sleep is because of a few reasons.

Once we age, our circadian rhythm weakens. This explains why people belonging to such an age bracket feel exhausted during the day. Apart from this, at this age one becomes prone to sleep disorders. The most common one being insomnia. Around a third of all senior aged individuals suffer from it. A main culprit behind this insomniac behavior is certain medicines that are being consumed.

In order to ensure that we sleep for a fair amount of hours even when we age, we need to bring a few changes in our lifestyle. No food should be consumed at least three hours before we sleep so as to avoid bloating and any uncomfortable feelings. All technological devices must be switched off prior to sleeping so as to limit distractions. If a person finds it difficult to sleep each night, then it should be given medical attention as soon as possible.

We do sleep less when we age as our bodily requirement changes. However, it is vital to ensure an 8 hour sleep for proper functioning and a strong immune system.