Deep Sleep and Dream Sleep Decrease in Older Adults

A recent study examined age-related EEG sleep stage alterations in normal subjects whose sleep had been recorded for the first time 40 years ago. For their recent follow-up EEG sleep study, 15 male and female subjects age 56–74 years were studied. In all 15 subjects, the amount of slow-wave (deep) sleep and REM (dream) sleep was decreased, while stage 1 and wakefulness were increased. There was no significant change in stage 2 sleep. The results of this longitudinal study over a period of 40 years are largely consistent with those of cross-sectional studies and demonstrate that deep sleep and dream sleep decline, and light sleep and wakefulness increase, consistently in the age range between the late 50s and early 70s.