How Aging Changes Sleep Patterns in Men

Aging and sleep in men are closely linked. As you get older, you may notice that you fall asleep earlier, wake up more during the night, and feel like your sleep is lighter than it used to be. That can feel unsettling, especially if you are still aiming for seven to eight hours of rest every night. Understanding what is normal and what is not can help you protect your sleep and your long‑term health.

Below, you will learn what actually happens to your sleep as you age, why it happens, and what you can do about it.

How your sleep pattern shifts with age

You might feel like you are turning into more of a morning person as you get older. That is not just in your head.

Cross sectional and long term studies show that men over 60 tend to shift to a morning chronotype, which means earlier bedtimes and earlier wake times compared with men in their 20s and 30s (J Clin Invest). In some research, this shift toward “morningness” continues steadily across decades.

In practical terms, that often looks like this:

You feel sleepy earlier in the evening than you used to
You wake naturally earlier in the morning, even on days off
Late social events or night shifts feel harder to tolerate

This change in timing is called a circadian phase advance. Your internal clock is running a bit ahead of your social clock, which is why you might be wide awake at 5 a.m. but feel drowsy by 9 p.m.

What happens to sleep depth and quality

It is not only the timing of your sleep that changes. The structure and depth of your sleep shift too, especially in men.

Several large studies have found that:

Total sleep time drops by about 8 minutes per decade between ages 20 and 90, then levels off after about 60 (NCBI)
Slow wave sleep, also called deep sleep, decreases by about 1.7 percent per decade in men, a steeper decline than in women (NCBI)
Sleep efficiency, which is the percentage of time in bed that you actually spend asleep, steadily declines across adulthood and continues to slip a little even after 60 (NCBI)

Researchers at the University of Chicago found that your deepest sleep may start to fade even earlier than you expect. In men, the proportion of slow wave sleep can fall from nearly 20 percent in young adulthood to less than 5 percent by midlife, between ages 35 and 50. This drop is linked to about a 75 percent decline in growth hormone secretion, which usually occurs during deep sleep (University of Chicago Medicine).

By around age 45, many men have almost lost the ability to generate large amounts of deep sleep. That loss of deep, restorative sleep is associated with higher body fat, lower muscle mass, and reduced exercise capacity in later years (University of Chicago Medicine).

You may notice this change as:

More night awakenings
A sense that your sleep is “lighter” or more fragile
Feeling less refreshed after a night that looks long enough on paper

How your body clock and hormones change

Behind the scenes, your brain and hormones play a big role in aging and sleep in men.

Your circadian rhythm weakens and shifts

Your circadian timing system is the internal clock that regulates when you feel sleepy and when you feel alert. With age, this clock changes in several ways:

The rhythms of core body temperature and melatonin, two key clock signals, shift earlier by about one to two hours in older men (J Clin Invest, PMC)
The amplitude of these rhythms, which is the height of the daily peaks and troughs, falls by 20 to 40 percent in core body temperature and also declines for melatonin (J Clin Invest)
The strength of your circadian signals becomes weaker, which can make it harder to keep sleep consolidated, especially toward morning (PMC)

Older men also have a harder time adjusting to shifts in schedule, such as jet lag or rotating shifts. After a phase advance, you may have more trouble resetting your sleep, alertness, and temperature rhythms compared with younger men (J Clin Invest).

Melatonin and light sensitivity evolve

Melatonin is your primary “darkness hormone.” It rises at night to help trigger sleepiness. Studies show that total melatonin secretion drops with age in men, sometimes starting as early as your 30s, and its nighttime peak can occur earlier in older age (J Clin Invest).

You also absorb less blue light as the lens in your eye ages, which may alter how your circadian system responds to light signals. The exact size of this effect is still debated, but it may contribute to disturbed sleep patterns in older adults (PMC).

Testosterone, growth hormone and cortisol

Sleep and male hormones influence one another in both directions.

Research indicates that:

Testosterone levels gradually decline from about age 30 onward, and the usual daily ups and downs of testosterone become less pronounced with age (NCBI)
Sleep loss and chronic short sleep are associated with lower 24 hour testosterone levels and higher late afternoon cortisol, a stress hormone, which can promote insulin resistance (PMC)
In healthy older men around age 64 to 74, shorter actual sleep at night predicts lower morning total and free testosterone levels (AASM)

In a sleep restriction study with older men, cutting sleep reduced testosterone around the clock and decreased the number and strength of testosterone pulses. This suggests that poor sleep does not just lower your hormone level, it disrupts the normal pattern of hormone release (PMC).

On top of that, reduced growth hormone due to lost deep sleep and elevated evening cortisol after age 50 are associated with more fat, less muscle, lower fitness, and higher cardiometabolic risk (University of Chicago Medicine).

Normal sleep changes versus actual sleep disorders

Not every change you notice is a sign of a sleep disorder. Many shifts are simply part of aging and sleep in men.

Normal age related changes often include:

Taking slightly longer to fall asleep
Waking up several times per night
Spending less time in deep, dreamless sleep
Waking earlier in the morning than you used to (MedlinePlus, MedlinePlus)

A healthy 70 year old man may wake up multiple times each night without any underlying disease, largely due to lighter, more fragmented sleep (MedlinePlus).

However, some patterns point toward a treatable sleep disorder rather than normal aging. Common problems in older men include:

Chronic insomnia
Sleep disordered breathing such as obstructive sleep apnea
Circadian rhythm sleep wake disorders, like advanced sleep phase
Sleep related movement disorders (PubMed)

If you struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep at least three nights per week for months, feel very sleepy during the day, snore loudly, or stop breathing during sleep, it is important to talk with your doctor. A detailed sleep history, questionnaires, and sleep logs are often more useful than jumping straight to a sleep lab, unless you have unusual behaviors or your treatment is not working (PubMed).

Why sleep still matters as much as ever

Even though your sleep changes, the amount you need does not. Adults, including older men, still need about seven to eight hours of sleep each night for good health and hormone balance (AASM, MedlinePlus).

If you cut that short, or if your sleep is constantly disrupted, several systems can be affected:

Metabolism and blood sugar control
Immune function and inflammation
Brain performance, memory, and mood
Testosterone and other hormones that support muscle, bone, and sexual health (PMC, AASM)

Long term sleep debt that accumulates across your life, especially from issues like untreated obstructive sleep apnea, is associated with faster development of age related diseases and poorer overall health in men (PMC).

So while it is normal for your sleep to become lighter and more fragmented over time, it is still worth protecting your nightly rest as a health priority, not a luxury.

Practical ways to improve your sleep as you age

You cannot turn back your biological clock, but you can work with it more effectively. Small changes can make aging and sleep in men more compatible.

Tune your environment and routine

Focus on making it easier for your body to follow a stable rhythm:

Keep your bedroom dark, quiet, and slightly cool
Stick to consistent bed and wake times, even on weekends
Get outside into natural light most days, especially in the morning, to strengthen your circadian cues
Avoid long naps late in the afternoon, which can make it harder to fall asleep at your usual time (MedlinePlus)

If you are lying awake in bed for a long stretch, get up and do something calm in low light until you feel sleepy again instead of forcing sleep. Spending less time awake in bed helps your brain reconnect bed with sleep, not frustration.

Address medical issues that wake you up

Many things that pull you out of sleep are treatable:

Nocturia, frequent trips to the bathroom
Chronic pain or discomfort
Anxiety, depression, or other mood changes
Breathing issues, such as snoring or observed apneas

Treating these underlying conditions can significantly improve your sleep quality, even if your sleep remains somewhat lighter with age (MedlinePlus).

Choose treatments wisely

For long term sleep troubles, non drug approaches work very well and are safer for older adults. Options include:

Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT I)
Sleep hygiene education and coaching
Relaxation and stress reduction techniques
Sleep restriction and stimulus control therapy
Light therapy for circadian rhythm issues (PubMed)

Sleeping pills may seem like a quick fix, but in older men they carry extra risks, including dependence and dangerous behaviors like sleep driving. The FDA has issued warnings for several prescription sleep medications for these reasons, so it is important to use them only under close medical guidance, at the lowest effective dose, and for limited periods (MedlinePlus).

Short term use of melatonin can be helpful for some older adults, especially if your circadian rhythm has shifted earlier. However, because melatonin production and circadian timing already change with age, it is best to discuss proper timing and dose with a clinician first (MedlinePlus).

When to talk with your doctor

You do not need to see a specialist for every early morning wake up. But you should reach out to your healthcare provider if you notice:

Persistent insomnia, despite good sleep habits
Heavy daytime sleepiness, dozing off while driving or in conversations
Loud snoring, gasping, or pauses in breathing during sleep
Sudden changes in memory, mood, or thinking that may relate to poor sleep
New or worsening nighttime behaviors, such as acting out dreams

A careful evaluation can separate normal age related changes from problems that deserve targeted treatment. With the right information and support, you can adapt to how your sleep evolves and still protect your energy, hormones, and health as you age.