Seniors and sleep: Physical changes may interrupt life-long sleep patterns

Maybe you used to be a night owl, watching late night television or reading past midnight.

But now? Some older people discover that, as they age, they become tired much earlier in the night and rise well before dawn.

This actually has a name: Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome, according to the National Sleep Foundation. It shouldn’t be especially alarming, but it can be annoying. The natural circadian rhythms that coordinate body functions advance in time with age, so people get plenty of sleep (from seven to eight hours) but everything happens earlier. Experts do not know why this happens, but they usually treat the issue with bright light therapy, exposing the body to light when it should be awake.

Then there is insomnia. About 44 percent of older persons can’t sleep for a few nights per week. But insomnia can become chronic.

Medical conditions can be responsible for insomnia. Among them snoring, a primary cause of sleep disruption for 90 million Americans. Snoring can be due to weight and aging. Very loud snoring can be a symptom of sleep apnea, associated with high blood pressure, among other things. Sleep apnea causes people to repeatedly wake up as they breathe, then stop breathing. It can and should be treated, doctors say.