Your Age May Determine Your Circadian Rhythms
How old you are could have a lot to do with not only how much sleep you need but also with when you get that sleep. Some people stay up late and sleep in, and other people are in bed early and get up early. Others seem to need more sleep no matter what time they go to bed. Circadian rhythm is the name that’s given to when you sleep and when you’re awake, and it varies with age somewhat. Babies sleep almost all the time, older people seem to sleep less, but little children often wake up early and teenagers have to be coerced to get out of bed before noon in many cases. In middle age, most people seem to go to bed early and get up early, but that’s not completely because they want to. It’s often because they work and have no choice.
If you find as you get older that your sleep pattern changes, you shouldn’t automatically assume that there’s a problem. As long as you’re otherwise healthy and you’re getting adequate sleep, it could just be your circadian rhythm changing because of age. That’s normal for a lot of people, so don’t let it worry you. Everyone’s bodies go through various types of changes as they age, and most of those changes aren’t specific to them, they have to do with normal and expected aging.
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