Sleeping in until noon feels like second nature for many teens on the cusp of adulthood, but why do these lie-ins seem to become much more of a rarity as we get older?
We want to know if being up with the larks is just a natural part of growing older, or if this something that should be ringing alarm bells, so we spoke to Dr Katharina Lederle, sleep and circadian rhythm specialist at London General Practice, who has outlined some common underlying reasons for these early starts later in life…
Changing sleep patterns
Lederle highlights how many older adults tend to find that their sleep-wake cycle significantly shifts as they get older, typically advancing to an earlier schedule.
“The length of the circadian rhythm doesn’t change, but it does tend to move to an earlier time,” explains the sleep and circadian rhythm specialist. “We call this a ‘phased advance’ and that’s one common reason why older people wake up earlier.”
Hormonal fluctuations
Fluctuations, imbalances, and the general timing of melatonin can also influence when you feel sleepy and when you wake up.
“Melatonin is a way of your body clock telling the rest of the body it is nighttime and the amount of melatonin that is released over the course of the night decreases as we age. This can lead to lighter sleep, which we can be more easily woken up from,” explains Lederle.
Chronic health issues
“Another reason why older adults often wake up earlier, or genuinely don’t sleep as well, is because many people experience an increase in health conditions as they get older,” says Lederle. “Any health condition that makes you or your body feel uncomfortable when you sleep, such as arthritis, can disrupt your sleep.
“If you sleep lighter, your brain is more likely to register the discomfort in your body, and that can contribute to the waking up earlier.”
Medication
“It’s important to talk to your GP about the potential side effects of any medication because they could affect your sleep,” says Lederle.
Bladder control
Changes in bladder function and anatomy later in life is another common cause of increased early morning waking and nighttime urination.
“Nocturia, the frequent need to get up and urinate throughout the night, becomes more common with age and is more common in men later in life,” says Lederle.
Sleep disorders
The sleep and circadian rhythm specialist also highlights how some sleep disorders can cause people to wake up earlier than desired and make it hard to fall back to sleep.
“Sleep disorders such as insomnia are more prevalent in the elderly and can lead to difficulties falling asleep, staying asleep and waking up too early,” notes Lederle. “Sleep apnoea is also significantly more common in postmenopausal women.”
If you think you might be struggling with a sleep disorder, talk to your GP about your symptoms.
Should older adults be worried if they wake up particularly early in the morning?
“If you are worried about waking up earlier, firstly check whether there is an underlying health condition that could be causing this, and if there’s nothing wrong with you in that sense, try not to stress about it,” says Lederle. “Waking up early doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you, as it can just be a normal part of ageing.
“If you are waking up at 4:30am from all the birds tweeting, remember that you don’t have to get up. Allow yourself to just stay in bed and rest and maybe read a book or listen to the radio.”
She adds that there are some things you can do to adjust your sleeping times if you are struggling with the early starts.
“In an ideal world, you can either adjust your day to match an early wake up time, or you can try and see if you can push your sleep time back and go to bed a little later and then wake up a little later by using timed light exposure,” suggests Lederle.