Taking naps during the day is common for many people around age 60. Daytime sleepiness is prevalent among older adults, often resulting from lighter, more fragmented sleep at night. While occasional rest can be a natural result of the aging process, it is important to understand the underlying reasons for daytime fatigue. Napping should support overall health rather than mask a serious underlying issue.
Age-Related Shifts in Sleep Patterns
The physiology of sleep changes noticeably around age 60, making it difficult to consolidate sleep at night. A significant change involves the circadian rhythm, the body’s internal 24-hour clock. This rhythm often experiences a “phase advance,” causing a person to feel sleepy earlier in the evening and wake up earlier in the morning.
Sleep architecture is also altered, with a distinct reduction in deep, slow-wave sleep (N3 stage). Since this deep sleep is restorative, less of it means the body and brain achieve less nightly recovery. The efficiency of sleep decreases, leading to more frequent awakenings during the night. Older adults may wake up multiple times nightly due to factors like pain or the need to urinate, which fragments the sleep cycle. This less restorative nighttime sleep creates a deficit that manifests as an increased need for daytime rest.
Defining the Healthy Power Nap
A strategic nap can compensate for reduced sleep quality at night, but its effectiveness depends heavily on duration and timing. Sleep experts recommend a short “power nap” lasting between 15 and 30 minutes. Napping within this window restores alertness and energy without causing the grogginess known as sleep inertia.
Longer naps, particularly those exceeding 60 minutes, allow the body to enter deeper stages of sleep, making it harder to wake up refreshed. These extended naps can also interfere with the ability to fall asleep at the regular nighttime bedtime. The ideal time for a nap is typically in the early afternoon, between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., aligning with the body’s natural dip in energy. Napping later in the day should be avoided because it disrupts the sleep drive necessary for a solid night’s sleep.
When Daytime Sleepiness Becomes a Concern
While occasional napping is common and healthy, excessive or involuntary daytime sleepiness warrants medical attention. This can signal an underlying health problem. Excessive daytime sleepiness is defined as difficulty staying awake or alert throughout the day, often resulting in an irresistible urge to sleep. A major red flag is if naps become extremely long, lasting hours, or if a person needs multiple daily naps but still feels unrefreshed.
One common medical cause of fragmented nighttime sleep and subsequent daytime fatigue is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). This condition involves repeated pauses in breathing during sleep, which prevents deep, restorative rest and leads to severe daytime drowsiness. Medications can also play a role, as many prescriptions for chronic conditions in older adults have sedative side effects.
Other medical conditions that present with excessive daytime sleepiness include depression and chronic pain, which interrupts sleep at night. Neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease or early-stage dementia, can also disrupt the brain’s regulation of the sleep-wake cycle. If daytime sleepiness is disruptive, accompanied by loud snoring, morning headaches, or involuntary sleep episodes, consulting a physician is advisable to diagnose and treat any underlying cause.