Why does a 70 year old sleep so much?

Excessive daytime sleepiness

Excessive daytime sleepiness

Excessive sleepiness during waking hours, also referred to as daytime somnolence, may be a warning sign of poor sleep quality, sleep disorders or other health conditions. Though not a disorder in itself, excessive daytime sleepiness is something to take seriously.

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Excessive Sleepiness: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments

in older adults may be a symptom of health issues like sleep apnea, cognitive impairment, or cardiovascular issues. Sleep Apnea: Obstructive sleep apnea can cause pauses in breathing during sleep.

Is it normal for a 70 year old to sleep a lot?

As people age, they tend to sleep more lightly than when they were younger. Waking up during the night due to achy joints or the need to use the restroom becomes commonplace. Many seniors compensate for this lost sleep by catching a restorative nap during the day. That's normal.

Why does my 71 year old husband sleep so much?

The Causes of Excessive Sleep

Poor sleep quality at night. Side effects of medication. Emotional challenges like depression or anxiety. Lack of emotional stimulation leading to boredom.

What does it mean when an elderly person wants to sleep all the time?

Boredom, depression, chronic pain and/or nutritional deficiencies can be some of the underlying causes that account for excessive daytime sleeping. Medications can also be a problem.

Is sleeping a lot a symptom of dementia?

Sleeping more and more is a common feature of later-stage dementia. As the disease progresses, the damage to a person's brain becomes more extensive and they gradually become weaker and frailer over time.

Study helps explain sleep problems in the elderly

What happens to your body at age 70?

Your Bones, Joints, and Muscles

Your muscles get weaker, and the tendons -- which connect muscles to your skeleton -- get stiffer. This will decrease your strength and flexibility. In your 70s, you might lose an inch or two off your height as disks in your back flatten.

What time should a 70 year old go to bed?

According to their internal body clock, most older adults need to go to sleep around 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. and wake up at 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. Many people fight their natural inclination to sleep and choose to go to bed several hours later instead.

Are afternoon naps good for seniors?

While a 30- to 90-minute nap in older adults appears to have brain benefits, anything longer than an hour and a half may create problems with cognition, the ability to think and form memories, according to the study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

What causes sleeping too much?

The most common causes of excessive sleepiness are sleep deprivation and disorders like sleep apnea and insomnia. Depression and other psychiatric problems, certain medications, and medical conditions affecting the brain and body can cause daytime drowsiness as well.

Why do I feel so old and tired?

There are plenty of potential culprits. Medications for blood pressure, sleep problems, pain and gastrointestinal reflux can induce fatigue, as can infections, conditions such as arthritis, an underactive thyroid, poor nutrition and alcohol use. All can be addressed, doctors say.

Should I be worried if I sleep too much?

How Much Sleep Is Too Much? Sleep needs can vary from person to person, but in general, experts recommend that healthy adults get an average of 7 to 9 hours per night of shuteye. If you regularly need more than 8 or 9 hours of sleep per night to feel rested, it might be a sign of an underlying problem, Polotsky says.

What happens to your brain if you sleep too much?

Summary: While the effects of sleep deprivation are well known, researchers discover sleeping too much could have a detrimental effect on your brain. A new study reports sleeping more than eight hours per night can reduce cognitive ability and reasoning skills.

Is sleeping too much a health problem?

“While consistently getting less than the recommended amount of sleep has been associated with multiple adverse health outcomes, sleeping more than nine hours per night regularly may also be detrimental,” Makekau says. She says oversleeping can lead to: Increased fatigue and low energy. Decrease in immune function.

How often should seniors shower?

At a minimum, bathing once or twice a week helps most seniors avoid skin breakdown and infections. Using warm washcloths to wipe armpits, groin, genitals, feet, and any skin folds also helps minimize body odor in between full baths.

How can I get more energy in my 70s?

Do naps slow down aging?

Moreover, age-group analyses showed that among >80-year-old, those who reported midday napping had almost 9-times higher odds of achieving “high” successful aging levels, as compared to non-midday nappers; this effect was less prominent among younger participants.

What is the average bedtime for seniors?

“The stereotype of most seniors going to bed at 8 p.m., sleeping very lightly, and being unduly sleepy during the day may be quite inaccurate, suggesting that 60 really is the new 40.” Researchers based the study on extensive telephone interviews with nearly 1,200 retired seniors in western Pennsylvania.

Is 10 hours of sleep too much for a 70 year old?

For people over the age of 65, getting more than nine hours of sleep on a regular basis may be an early sign of the onset of dementia or Alzheimer's disease, a new study suggests.

What three things should a person avoid once they are past 70 years old?

Fatty foods, high sugar content, lots of alcohol and caffeine, and heavy dairy are the staples of poor nutrition after 70.

How long does the average 70 year old live?

Consider the Average Life Expectancy

And if she makes it to age 70, her life expectancy increases to 87.6 years. A man the same age has an average life expectancy of 84.1 years.

What life stage is a 70 year old?

Middle Age Adult = 40-59 yrs. Senior Adult = 60+

How can I stop sleeping so much?

Why am I getting 8 hours of sleep and still tired?

Most likely, you're still tired after eight hours of sleep because of these three factors: (1) you don't know your sleep need, (2) you're not taking into account your sleep efficiency, and (3) you carry sleep debt.

At what age do you start feeling old?

According to the research, the average American starts feeling old at the age of 47. Similarly, the average respondent starts to really worry about age-related bodily changes around 50 years old.