Study: Older People Need Fewer Zzzs

Posted on Feb 1, 2010

Flickr / Scott McLeod

The younger set is more likely to get sleepy during the daytime than their 50- and 60-something elders, according to a study out of the University of Surrey.

Here’s another reason why baby boomers are still running various sectors of society: They need less sleep. According to a new study published, fittingly, in the journal Sleep, people in their 60s don’t need to snooze for quite as long as their younger counterparts. This may partly explain why Jay Leno is still on the air.  —KA

The Telegraph:

The study found that, of eight hours spent in bed, people in their 20s slept for an average of seven hours and 14 minutes.

That fell to six hours and 50 minutes for those in their 40s and 50s, and fell again for the over-65s, who slept for an average of just six hours and 30 minutes.

The older generation were also more likely to wake during the night than younger people, the findings, published in the journal Sleep, show.

Despite this, however, they were less sleepy during the day, especially in comparison to those in their 20s.

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