How is sleep efficiency impacted as part of the normal aging process?

As individuals age, sleep efficiency typically decreases. Sleep efficiency is defined as the ratio of the total time spent asleep to the total time spent in bed. In older adults, it is common to experience a reduction in REM sleep and increased awakenings throughout the night, which leads to a lower percentage of time spent in deep sleep. Consequently, even when older adults spend a full night in bed, the amount of restorative sleep they achieve is often diminished. This decline can be attributed to various factors including physiological changes in the sleep architecture, comorbid health conditions, medications, and lifestyle factors. Thus, recognizing that sleep efficiency decreases with age is crucial in understanding the overall sleep health of older adults.