Sleeping is not only a physical need, but also a competence. Nowadays, it has become a big problem for the elderly. 

It is said that the last thirty years of life is closely related with trouble sleeping. The older a person is, the more difficult sleeping becomes. With the increase of age, the quality of sleeping is lower and the time of sleeping is shorter. It is the normal change of the human body. Experts hold the view that the elderly do not need to pursue long sleeping. They suggest that sleeping of six hours long is adequate. If the elderly sleep more than six hours, their heart beats would decrease to an abnormal rate. The metabolism slows down and the activity of blood circulation is slow. Sometimes, their muscles would become so loose that the elderly could not walk normally. Therefore, the elderly should not sleep over six hours every day.

An experiment conducted by a professor at Stanford University also gives some advice about sleeping to the elderly. The professor investigated a great number of the elderly. He divided them into two groups. The first group was asked to change the sleeping habits. The members should sleep late and get up early. Meanwhile, people in the second group could sleep as they pleased. The results have shown that the sleeping quality of the first group was better than that of the second group. The American professor also has suggested that the elderly should sleep five hours in the night and take a one-hour-long nap at noon.

Compared with that of the young people, the sleeping of the elderly is much worse. The elderly would usually wake up several times in the night. They get up early in the morning. Experts say that there is no need worrying about such phenomena. These phenomena are the normal results of aging. What the elderly should to is to have a positive attitude. They should be aware that the condition of sleeping varies with the age. Time is not the only criterion to judge the quality of sleeping.

When their sleeping is not good, do not treat is as a disease. Experts do not suggest the elderly to eat hypnotics. If the elderly do have sleeping troubles, ask doctors for advice. Or they can turn to milk for help. It is said that a substance called hydroxide can calm the nerves and help people go to sleep quickly. Besides, when old people feel tired, they are not suggested to take sleeping as a rest. They could go for a walk, play some small games or have some entertainment. Such a method not only makes their bodies recover in a short time, but also exercises their bodies and slows down the aging process.