You may have read that “old people” don’t need as much sleep as young people and can get by on four or five hours a night. This myth has recently been exposed by Matthew Walker at UC Berkeley. It’s not that we need less sleep as we get older—it’s that changes in the aging brain make it difficult for older adults to get the sleep they need. And the consequences are serious. Sleep deprivation in the aged is directly responsible for cognitive decline, not to mention increased risk of cancer and heart disease. Grandma didn’t forget where she put her glasses because she’s senile—it’s because she’s
...more
