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Written by the OrganizedWisdom Team with as the reviewer. All original content is supervised by the The OrganizedWisdom Medical Review Team

« Frequently Asked Questions

Sleep Disorders 101: Sleep Needs

Does the amount of sleep we need really decrease as we age, or is it hearsay?

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Answered by:

Michael Breus, Ph.D.

Clinical Psychologist and Author of Beauty Sleep

The amount of sleep we need remains constant, but this has been debated. The older we get, the harder it becomes to meet our sleep needs for a variety of reasons. Even if we're able to function better with less sleep the older we get, that doesn't mean our bodies don't, in fact, crave that sleep. Older people take more daytime naps to make up for poor sleep at night, which can be due to medicinal or medical causes, or simply having more time to sleep.

Dr. Breus is a practicing Ph.D. in clinical psychology with a specialty in clinical sleep disorders. He has a private practice in Scottsdale, Arizona, and is the author of Beauty Sleep. He is a regular contributor to WebMD and America Online. For more on Dr. Breus, visit his website or follow him on Twitter @thesleepdoctor.

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