{"id":256293,"date":"2026-01-25T02:49:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T02:49:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/256293\/"},"modified":"2026-01-25T02:49:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T02:49:07","slug":"over-60-is-it-better-to-wake-up-early-or-sleep-longer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/256293\/","title":{"rendered":"Over 60, Is It Better to Wake Up Early or Sleep Longer?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Getting enough sleep<\/a> is key to warding off a host of health issues. While falling asleep fast is the goal for some, and staying asleep is the dream for others, it\u2019s normal for your sleep<\/a> to change over time. But as we get older, is it better to wake up early or sleep in?<\/p>\n

Sleep medicine specialists stress the importance of keeping a regular sleep schedule for your overall health. \u201cI try to encourage older individuals who are retired to create some sort of consistent wake-up time,\u201d says Christopher Winter, M.D.<\/a>, a sleep medicine specialist, neurologist, and author of The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How to Fix It.<\/p>\n

Meet the experts: Christopher Winter, M.D.<\/a>, is a sleep medicine specialist, neurologist, and author of <\/a>The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How to Fix It; Jade Wu, Ph.D.<\/a>, is a behavioral sleep medicine specialist and author of Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications<\/p>\n

But if the decision on when to get up is yours alone, is it better for your health to rise early or get more rest? Here\u2019s what sleep medicine specialists want you to keep in mind. <\/p>\n

Is it better to sleep longer or wake up early?<\/p>\n

This can be \u201ctricky\u201d to answer, according to Jade Wu, Ph.D.<\/a>, a behavioral sleep medicine specialist and author of Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications. \u201cSometimes waking up early means someone is not getting enough opportunity to sleep, and sometimes it doesn\u2019t,\u201d she says. \u201cWhether this is a good thing also depends on whether you usually get up early or late.\u201d <\/p>\n

Dr. Winter agrees. \u201cI don\u2019t really care if you get up later, but I want you to have a wake-up time and decide that is the wake-up time, no matter what happens overnight,\u201d he says. \u201cI just want it to be consistent and in line with what your body naturally wants to do, which is to sleep for seven to nine hours.\u201d <\/p>\n

Some people may naturally prefer to stay up later at night, which would push the preferred wake time to later, Dr. Winter points out. But if you like to get in bed on the earlier side, your wake time should reflect that.<\/p>\n

How to figure out what your body needs<\/p>\n

To figure out if an earlier or later wake time is best for you, Wu recommends considering these elements:<\/p>\n

Make sure you\u2019re leaving yourself enough time to sleep. The recommended amount<\/a> is seven or more hours. Keep your wake time steady. \u201cIt\u2019s better to wake up at about the same time every day than to sometimes wake up early and sometimes late,\u201d she says. A consistent wake time helps to anchor your circadian rhythm, which dictates the timing of a lot of processes in your body. Line up your wake time with your chronotype, which is your body\u2019s natural preference for sleep and wake times. \u201cIf you\u2019re naturally a morning person, get up early,\u201d Wu says. \u201cIf you\u2019re naturally more of a night owl, let yourself sleep.\u201dDo I need more or less sleep with age?<\/p>\n

Most people need less sleep with age\u2014and that\u2019s something that\u2019s been happening since you were a baby. \u201cBabies need much more sleep than toddlers, who need more sleep than other children,\u201d Dr. Winter says. \u201cThe underlying reason is that we tend to lose slow-wave sleep or deep sleep as we get older.\u201d<\/p>\n

But there is some variability here. \u201cIt also depends on our physical activity levels, stress levels, and hormonal status,\u201d Wu says. So, if you work out regularly and aren\u2019t overly stressed, you may require more sleep than your frazzled counterparts who do less activity on a regular basis. \u201cEach person\u2019s trajectory of sleep needs can be unique,\u201d Dr. Wu says.<\/p>\n

Why do I wake up earlier as I get older?<\/p>\n

Every person is different, but your chronotype plays a role. \u201cOur chronotypes\u2014the tendency for our circadian clock to run early, late, or somewhere in between\u2014tend to shift earlier as we age,\u201d Wu says. <\/p>\n

But while doctors know that people tend to wake up earlier as they age, Dr. Winter says the exact reason is unknown. <\/p>\n

When to see a doctor about sleep<\/p>\n

Dr. Winter recommends seeing a doctor about your sleep anytime you\u2019re concerned about it. But he also notes a few \u201cred flags\u201d to keep in mind. <\/p>\n

Those include:<\/p>\n

Feeling like you need far more sleep when you\u2019re older than you did when you were younger. You have fragmented sleep. You experience excessive sleepiness during the day. Your partner says you snore consistently. <\/p>\n

Frequent nightmares are also a reason to check in with a healthcare provider, Wu says. As for whether you should get up earlier or later, Dr. Winter says it\u2019s really up to you\u2014as long as you\u2019re consistent. <\/p>\n

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