The Fountain of Youth to Living a Happy and Healthy Life Past 80

16. Are you getting enough sleep each night for your age to keep your brain functioning well?

Another factor that significantly affects how well our minds work is sleep! Please disregard the misconception that elderly people require less sleep than younger ones; you still need 8 hours of sleep every night as you get older. You may not be aware that adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night. You could see that you seem to require less sleep than this, but this isn't because your needs are different; rather, it's because you might experience difficulties attempting to acquire the recommended 8 hours of sleep each night.

Numerous factors, including any medications you might be taking for other ailments, could keep you from obtaining the rest you need. Sometimes it feels like a catch-22 situation: take the medication and miss out on sleep, refuse the medication, feel sick, and obtain quality rest! If this is the case, you should talk to your doctor about finding possible substitutes for your medicine. It's also possible that you have a terrible habit of napping during the day, which throws off your body's natural sleep cycle at night.