Sleep During Midlife: What Changes?

Sleep, though vital, comes with various challenges as we age. At every stage of our lives, we’re exposed to sleep-related issues, but these issues increase during middle age. Medical experts explain that the challenges we experience regarding sleep during middle age are often due to hormonal changes. The more changes our hormones experience, the greater we risk having our health issues interfere with our ability to enjoy quality sleep. To enjoy our sleep even during middle age, we must understand what happens to our bodies as we age and what to expect from sleep during those years.

What’s sleep like in your 40’s and 50’s?

The following story might resonate highly with you if you’re already in your forties or fifties. Your 20’s were amazing concerning sleep, and your 30’s were even better, as you slept pretty well. You don’t know how it happened, but suddenly you’re in your 40s, and sleep starts getting difficult to achieve.

It’s not that you’re not exhausted: you are, but for some unknown reason, you struggle to fall asleep. When you finally sleep, you might wake up for no reason. This is a sign of sleep in middle age.

Studies have shown various reasons why this comes to be during that stage in life. Our 40s and 50s are generally known as some of the most challenging periods where a lot is happening in our lives. From working to parenting, figuring out retirement finances, and still taking care of our parents, there are many things on our minds, strong enough to give us chronic stress, which hinders peaceful sleep.

To alleviate the struggle for sleep during these stages, it’s best to partake in daily activities that boost your ability to sleep. These include a healthy diet, attention to mindfulness, regular exercise or activity, and managing all stressors. You can go a step further and invest in CBD for even better sleep. CBD can be found in various stores online for purchase. For the best CBD that aids in sleep, you can check out the OTO CBD for sleep range online.

What’s sleep like in your 60’s?

In our 60s, something weird happened. Sleep becomes a more friendly guest in your life, but your ability to sleep declines dramatically. Many downtimes characterize our sixties as we suddenly have more control over our daily schedules. With our kids in college and retirement already in place, a huge chunk of our stress has been removed.

Our ability to sleep declines at this stage because, for women, this is their time for post-menopause. Post-menopause exhibits itself differently for different women; thus, while some might experience an improvement in their sleep patterns, others might find they still struggle to wind down after a day’s activities.

Our sixties are when sleep disorders like sleep apnea and insomnia become more prevalent. It is best to focus on your sleep hygiene during this life stage. This involves taking some commitment and paying close attention to your sleep routines. As much as possible, stick to a sleep and wake routine, avoid any kinds of stimulants at the wrong times, be it light or coffee, getting enough sunlight in the morning, amongst others.

What’s sleep like in your 70’s?

Many people think that if you need 7 hours of sleep in your 20s and 30s, you’ll need less in your 70s. This is false. You need the same amount of hours of sleep throughout your entire life. While you might be getting the same number of hours of sleep at these life stages, the quality of your sleep might change due to your growth. For example, 7 hours of sleep in your 20s might mean you spend up to 20% of your total sleep hours in the vital state of deep sleep. In your 70s, this percentage might reduce to 5%. As we age, we spend more of our sleep time in light sleep, which is largely unrefreshing.

This stage requires even more intentionality concerning your diet, activity, and exposure to sunlight. It is even better when you start investing in your sleep earlier, as this will pay off years and decades later.