Why Quality Sleep Grows More Elusive with Age

Middle-agers and seniors on average sleep less than younger people, about 6 to 7 hours a night compared to 8 to 9 hours. But why is this so? And are older people therefore sleep deprived, which can give rise to chronic maladies and speed up aging? There are two camps on this. One is that older people sleep less because their body requires less sleep. No harm, no foul here. The other is that the hours spent sleeping isn't the relevant question; what matters is the quality of sleep. And