Why quality sleep matters as we age and how to get it

(Aging Untold) — For many people, young and old, good-quality sleep can be elusive. Poor sleep over time can have a huge impact on health.

Long-term sleep deprivation can negatively affect several body systems, including the heart and circulatory system, the immune and nervous systems, the brain and overall mental health, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Why sleep matters

“Sleep isn’t rest. It’s repair,” Dr. Rhea Rogers, a board-certified physician, said. “You are clearing toxins and metabolic waste. You are consolidating memory and learning, and you are regulating your mood and emotional control.”

When a person doesn’t get sleep, they get brain fog, poor judgment and even anxiety and depression, Rogers said.

There is an increased risk for dementia when you lack sleep, she added.

Sleep protects the heart and blood vessels, strengthens the immune system, regulates metabolism and hormones, and repairs cells, Rogers said.

“People don’t have a sleep problem because they don’t try. They have a sleep problem because they never look for it, because it’s silent,” Rogers said.

Sleep apnea often goes undetected

One of the most common causes of not getting a good night’s sleep is sleep apnea, where a person has brief pauses in breathing.

“You’re starving oxygen, but you don’t know it because you’re asleep, and then it shows up the next day,” Rogers said.

Symptoms include daytime fatigue, memory problems, difficulty losing weight and high blood pressure.

“As doctors, we’re taught to look at symptoms like high blood pressure or symptoms of blood sugar and all that. But nobody looks for the symptom that comes when you don’t have sleep,” Rogers said.

Sleep hygiene matters

People who sleep on the sofa while listening to TV are not going to get good sleep because of sleep hygiene, Rogers said.

“As long as we have other noises and everything going on, your brain is not shutting down,” Rogers said.

Amy O’Rourke, an aging expert, described a case where a facility wanted to separate a married couple of more than 50 years because of the husband’s combative behavior.

The husband was wheeling his wife around all night long, and during the day she had an anxious need to go.

“All we did was at night we had them sleep in separate rooms. He got a good night’s sleep, woke up, they had breakfast and he wheeled her back around during the day,” O’Rourke said.

The man was being combative and aggressive because he wasn’t getting sleep, she added.

Tips for better sleep

Sam Cradduck, a gerontologist, suggested checking the age of your mattress.

“Is your mattress 30 years old, and you’re still trying to get a good night’s sleep, and it’s got more lumps in it than cottage cheese?” Cradduck said.

Many older adults are not active enough, and their bodies aren’t actually tired, Cradduck said.

“If you’re sitting in the chair during the day and you’re sleeping through half the game shows you’re watching, you’re not really probably going to get a full good sleep at night,” Cradduck said.

Rogers urges people to find a routine.

“It’s not just duration. Some people function very well off of four to six hours, so it’s routine,” Rogers added.

Katherine Ambrose, an aging-well coach, said she uses sound machines with brown noise or white noise.

“It helps dull out the traffic noise and some of the other things. So just kind of quiets your environment,” Ambrose said.

Sleep medications vary in safety

If you’re taking something like melatonin, it does so much more than sleep, Rogers said.

“Even with high doses, it’s safe,” Rogers said.

However, Rogers said, some prescription sleep medications interfere with the repair process the brain is doing at nighttime.

“You end up interfering with neurotransmitters repair. And there’s actually said to increase the risk of dementia by 57%,” Rogers said.

Copyright 2026 Gray Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.