Why do old people do everything early?

[WillJ]

Another little question of mine.

In general, the daily schedules of the elderly is hours ahead the schedules of the youthful. Waking up at 5am or so, eating dinner at 4pm or so, going to bed a couple hours after the 6 o'clock news, etc.

Why is this?

 

[Immortal]

for the dinner and sleeping thing, its because they get tired faster (or so my dad says!). As for the early morning, Ive noticed the elderly eat breakfast, and read the newspaper as soon as it arrives after taking a morning walk. Usually means waking up before 7.

 

[GerrardCapashen]

Do they?

One set of my grandparents gets up early and goes to bed early, but the other set gets up around noon and goes to bed around midnight.

Are you sure that this is a widespread trend?

 

[Enkidu Warrior]

I don't know, but I feel obliged to take a comedy guess. Maybe they are woken by the need to visit the toilet, and just don't bother going back to bed.

 

[Laughing Gull]

Im not old and I go to bed at 8 or 9 O'clock.

 

[WillJ]

Do they?

One set of my grandparents gets up early and goes to bed early, but the other set gets up around noon and goes to bed around midnight.

Are you sure that this is a widespread trend?

Well, whenever I tell people this observation of mine, they all agree (and sometimes other people observe it and tell me about it), plus I hear stuff about it all the time in comedy (watch one of the episodes of Seinfield involving old people, for example). It's of course not true 100% of the time, but I think in general it's true.

 

[Immortal]

Im not old and I go to bed at 8 or 9 O'clock.

If it makes you feel any better, Im still rather young and I go to sleep at 10, then again I wake up at 6.

 

[blindside]

I go to bed at 12-1 and wake up at 6:30 and I feel fine by mid morning. Depends on the people. My grandfather goes to bed at 10, wakes up at 5. My grandmother sleeps at 12-1 and wakes up at 9-10.

 

[GerrardCapashen]

Well, whenever I tell people this observation of mine, they all agree (and sometimes other people observe it and tell me about it), plus I hear stuff about it all the time in comedy (watch one of the episodes of Seinfield involving old people, for example). It's of course not true 100% of the time, but I think in general it's true.

Ok, I concede that it's probably true in general. But I still can't explain it.

 

[Perfection]

Because they don't want to be late!

Thank you, thank you very much!

 

[marioh]

I'd be waking at the crack of dawn too if I knew the grim reaper was right around the corner.

 

[microbe]

Maybe they feel the time is more precious for them so they use it more wisely.

 

[Ramius75]

There is a study that old ppl required less sleep than the younger counterpart. Sorry i dont know where or when i read that. But thats the general idea. They sleep less so they woke up early.

Ramius

 

[cgannon64]

I'd say because old people are insane and so think those hours are wasted time.

 

[Gogf]

Another little question of mine.

In general, the daily schedules of the elderly is hours ahead the schedules of the youthful. Waking up at 5am or so, eating dinner at 4pm or so, going to bed a couple hours after the 6 o'clock news, etc.

Why is this?

Dinner is probably because of "early bird" dinner specials. Or at least it is for my grandparents (not intended to be mean to them, it's a good economic decision, actually).

 

[WillJ]

Dinner is probably because of "early bird" dinner specials. Or at least it is for my grandparents (not intended to be mean to them, it's a good economic decision, actually).

Sure, but that alone wouldn't explain it, since youthful people usually aren't attracted by those specials.

There is a study that old ppl required less sleep than the younger counterpart. Sorry i dont know where or when i read that. But thats the general idea. They sleep less so they woke up early.

Ramius

Now that I think about it, I remember hearing that in science class a couple years ago. I guess that explains it.

 

[Turner]

Sigh....here I was thinking my dad wasn't old, and then I stop to think about his age....

I know he goes to bed about 8 or 9 in the evening. gets up about 3:00 in the morning. No clue why. I just know all my life he's never slept much, even when he could.

 

[stratego]

Old people wake up early, but they don't really sleep that much earlier. Studies show that Earth is slowing down. When these old people were young, earth was spinning faster. This means that days and nights were shorter when they were younger. So they need less sleep, because they were used to the days when the days were shorter.

 

[Sh3kel]

As you get older, your sleep cycle changes - instead of 10 hours of a sleep a 6 year old requires or 6-8 hours an adult needs, most people can now function on 5-7 hours. This means that if they're early to bed, they're early to rise, and since a life time of going to bed at 22:00 is a hard habit to change, people are going to start waking up earlier instead of going to bed later.
This, however, does not apply to the entire population, since there are enough of people who prove this thing as half-true.

 

[El Sop]

Well, from own experience I can tell that the older I get the earlier I wake up. The latest I wake up is 9:30-10:00 or so, no matter what I do the evening before. So having my beers till 5 in the morning, I still wake up at 10:00, which doesn't really make the hangover any better