Good sleep today may help protect your health as you grow older, according to Jennifer Martin, director of the Benjamín León Jr. Family Center for Geriatric Research and Education and a professor at the FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. Martin shared her advice in a September 2026 feature published by Community Newspapers.
Martin said sleep is closely tied to diet and exercise, the habits that help people stay healthy as they age. Chronic sleep loss has been linked in some research to a higher risk of stroke, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.
Her advice starts with scheduling. She recommends blocking out about seven and a half hours for sleep before filling in the rest of the day, and keeping a steady wake-up time and bedtime. Adults need seven or more hours on at least six days a week, she said, and an occasional late night is manageable.
She also urged people to keep phones out of arm’s reach at night, skip screens before bed and cut caffeine about 10 hours before sleeping. Martin noted that sleep rhythms shift with age, with older adults often waking earlier and getting less deep sleep. If early waking becomes a persistent problem, she said, a doctor should be consulted.
Her final tip is to pick one small change and stick with it for a few weeks rather than chasing perfect sleep.
