Healthy aging

Sleep & Recovery after 50

How much sleep older adults need, habits that may help, and when to talk with a doctor. Read a guide, or start with a small step you can do today.

A person resting on a bed at home in soft evening light.

Guides

Steps to start today

Pick one bedtime habit to try tonight

About 5 minutes · Very easy.

Choose one habit from a short list and try it tonight: going to bed at your usual time, a relaxing wind-down such as reading or soft music, or keeping screens out of the bedroom.

How to start
Pick the one habit that sounds easiest, and decide what time you will start it tonight.
You will need
Something calm you already have, such as a book or soft music.
How hard
Very easy.
Done when
You chose one habit and tried it tonight.

Safety: This is a habit to try, not treatment for a sleep problem. If you often cannot sleep, are very sleepy in the day, or snore loudly with pauses in breathing, talk with your doctor.

Evidence strength: moderate. General information, not medical advice.

Learn more: Sleep after 50

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Members get one small step chosen each day from their goals, interests, time, and limits, and it adapts when a step is not right. What you tell us stays yours, and skipping a day is never held against you.

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This page is general education, not medical advice. Stop for a new concerning symptom and ask a clinician if you are unsure. How we review content.