Club Benefits
Now my job revolves around finding the best sleep tips out there, one question I’m always confronted with when I pop over to see my grandparents is: What sleep tips have you got for us this week?
Finding the best mattress for your sleep style and body type can help you sleep pain-free through the night
There’s many reasons why people in later life become bad sleepers, from decreased melatonin levels and less busy schedules to menopause, chronic pain, or shifted circadian rhythms — and I’ve heard these complaints from my grandparents.
I did offer them a turn of my Eight Sleep Pod 4 to see if personalised temperature control could help their sleep woes, but they squirmed at the thought of sleeping with an AI-powered mattress cover (you can’t blame them).
But my grandfather, once a busy teacher and cricketer now a retired grandad-to-eight, has taken up swimming three times a week and noticed he’s sleeping much better on nights after he’s clocked 40 lengths.
Intrigued, I asked Dr. Rab Nawaz, M.D., a board-certified neurologist with over 10 years of clinical experience, why swimming leads to positive sleep outcomes and how to do it for the best sleep results….
4 reasons why swimming helps older adults to sleep better
Getting in the water can help older people in more ways than one…
1. More exercise = better sleep
Love it or hate it, we all know exercise is crucial to good health, and that includes your sleep health. Be it a walk, run or swim, science shows a daily workout can help you avoid sleep deprivation and manage disorders like insomnia.
Specifically, a 2023 study published in the Cureus Journal of Medical Science concludes regular physical activity can reduce sleep latency (the time it takes to fall asleep) and improve overall sleep quality.
Even better for swimmers, the research found regular moderate-intensity activities like lane-swimming are most effective, while high-intensity activities, especially in the evening or close to bedtime, lead to difficulty sleeping.
How exactly does exercise help you sleep? “Swimming is a full body aerobic activity, and aerobic activity improves sleep by building healthy sleep pressure, meaning the body feels a stronger need for restorative sleep at night,” explains Dr. Nawaz.
The body feels a stronger need for restorative sleep at night
Essentially, moving your body increases your sleep drive (the body’s natural desire for sleep) as it enhances physical fatigue. Craving restorative sleep, your body will more easily fall into essential deep and REM sleep stages, which are scientifically proven to be harder to enter in older age.
With a swim under your belt, by the time you [front] crawl into bed you’re physically and mentally ready to rest; whereas you can have pent up energy at bedtime if you’ve lounged around all day.
2. It offers pain relief
The beauty of swimming for older adults is the fact that it provides a means of exercise without intense impact on your joints and muscles.
You’re not pounding the pavements or pumping iron; instead you're reducing joint stiffness and pain, says Dr. Nawaz, which “removes a major barrier to staying asleep.”
A 2021 study examining the impact of aquatic exercise (swimming or aqua aerobics) on the sleep efficiency of adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain found two sessions per week did indeed improve total sleep time by just under six minutes, boost sleep efficiency and alleviate pain.
With less tossing and turning trying to find a pain-free position, you’ve a better chance of sleeping through the night.
3. Better mental health
The soothing effects of swimming don’t end at physical pain. “It also reduces stress hormones and helps regulate mood,” explains Dr. Nawaz, “which matters because anxiety and rumination are common causes of insomnia.”
As mentioned above, negative emotions are often the culprit of sleep loss among older people. But swimming is proven to alleviate symptoms of poor mental health.
A 2018 survey by Swim England found swimming reduced the symptoms of anxiety or depression for 1.4 million adults in Britain — and there’s no reason to believe the results wouldn’t be the same across the pond.
4. It brings social benefits
Speaking to my grandfather, it was clear that the benefits he’s got from swimming weren’t solely physical. He highlighted how he’s gotten to know many regulars at the pool and enjoys a post-swim sauna and chat each time he goes.
Although you may not think this has much to do with how he will sleep at night, according to a 2024 scientific review, older adults with a strong social network are more likely to experience better sleep quality compared to those without regular social connection.
In essence, fitting this social time in while getting exercise gives a double sleep kudos. Dr. Nawaz says, “Social connection is a powerful protective factor for both mood and brain health,” and therefore sleep.
How to swim for better sleep
- Earlier in the day is better than the evening
- 20 to 40 minutes of pool time three times a week is a good target
- Adjust your session to your fitness level
- Aqua-aerobics or water walking are great alternatives
Of course, a little thought must go into your swim schedule if you really want to optimize it for the best sleep result. Again, Dr. Nawaz is here to help.
“For sleep, the best time is usually earlier in the day or late afternoon, because vigorous exercise right before bed can keep some people too alert,” advises the doctor.
How often, and for how long, should you swim, you ask? “A practical target for older adults is 20 to 40 minutes of steady swimming or water walking most days, or at least three days a week, adjusted to fitness level.”
“If someone is new to swimming, I advise starting with 10 to 15 minutes and building gradually, because soreness can disrupt sleep if the jump is too big,” he cautions.
An aqua-aerobic class, or water walking, is a great alternative if you wish to reap the sleep benefits of aquatic activities, but lane-swimming seems daunting. What’s more, a post-swim sauna can also bring many sleep benefits, according to my previous research.
Boosted longevity, less pain, better mental health, and better sleep? Get me to the pool.
Why older adults struggle to sleep
Sleep patterns change with age and many sleep issues increase in the elderly. As many as 50% of older adults (age 65 or over), compared to 16% to 22% of the general population, complain about trouble sleeping, according to researchers at Kansas City School of Medicine.
From biological shifts to aches and pains, here’s what can get in the way of peaceful sleep in later life…
Your biology and hormones shift
Melatonin is the hormone that governs our internal clock (our circadian rhythm). Therefore, the human body needs it to know when it is time to sleep. Luckily, it is naturally produced in the body, but production of it reduces as we age.
This natural decline is associated with disrupted circadian rhythms and poorer sleep quality. Without as much melatonin, Dr. Nawaz says the brain’s sleep drive becomes lighter and more easily disrupted.
“Many older adults get less deep sleep and wake up more often, so sleep feels more fragile even if total hours look similar,” explains the former clinical fellow in acute and geriatric medicine at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board.
"Sleep feels more fragile [in older age] even if total hours look similar”
Dr. Rab Nawaz
“The circadian rhythm also shifts earlier, meaning people feel sleepy earlier in the evening and wake earlier in the morning, which can create middle of the night awakenings,” he adds.
Plenty of research reveals older adults display a phase advance (shifting the body's internal clock to an earlier time) in both sleep timing and core body temperature rhythms, waking and sleeping earlier than younger adults.
It’s common to hear older people complain about being up at the crack of dawn, and this is because their bodies tend to warm up, signalling the brain to produce the alertness hormone cortisol, earlier in the 24-hour circadian cycle. Once this hormone is secreted, it’s harder to sleep.
Medical issues can disrupt sleep
On top of natural circadian shifts, medical issues — oh, the joys of age — can interfere with sleep, which Dr. Nawaz has witnessed countless times during his practice in stroke and neurorehabilitation at King’s College Hospital and St. George’s Hospital, London.
He says pain, nocturia, reflux, mood symptoms (we’ll discuss below) and medications are the most common disruptors of quality sleep.
Nocturia, which refers to getting up to use the toilet frequently through the night, and reflux steal sleep for obvious reasons, while certain medications, including antidepressants, steroids, beta-blockers, and cold remedies, can reduce REM sleep and trigger nighttime awakenings.
The doctor also notes how sleep apnea becomes a more common issue with age. Yet, he says, it is “often missed because it can present as fatigue, morning headache or poor concentration rather than obvious snoring.”
Looking out for these symptoms of sleep apnea, or tracking your breathing patterns overnight with a top-rated sleep tracker, can help you identify whether you need to consult a medical professional for an official diagnosis and treatment.
Lifestyle changes can have a mental impact
Going from a busy professional schedule to a quiet retired life may reduce work-related stress, but it can still take a mental toll.
While having more time in the day for activities you enjoy and relaxation sounds ideal, the lack of social and mental engagement can cause loneliness, loss of identity and increase the risk of depression.
Research by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) shows retirement increases the probability of suffering from depression by 40%, leading to poor sleep quality.
Remember, depression is associated with both hypersomnia (sleeping too much) and insomnia (difficulty falling and staying asleep). Either way, these problems result in an inconsistent sleep schedule, which is bad news for your longevity.
This is because swimming helps regulate the nervous system. “Swimming can be especially calming because the water provides gentle sensory input and rhythmic breathing,” says Dr. Nawaz, “which nudges the nervous system toward a more relaxed state.”
