F*CK Getting Old

Sleep

Sleep debt, sleep quality, circadian rhythm, and recovery. Tools first, same as every other pillar here.

Related

Melatonin and glycine — the most commonly used sleep supplements — have evidence-rated profiles in the Supplement Database. Neither tool on this page screens for sleep disorders like apnea — if you snore heavily, wake gasping, or are excessively tired despite adequate hours in bed, that’s worth bringing to a clinician regardless of what these self-assessments say.

Why sleep changes after 40

Sleep tends to get lighter and more fragmented with age, with less deep sleep and more night wakings. Men over 40 are also at rising risk of obstructive sleep apnea, which often goes unrecognized. At the same time, sleep is when much of the body’s recovery happens — short sleep is linked with worse appetite control, insulin sensitivity, training recovery, and mood.

The tools here focus on the two things you can track at home: how much sleep you’re losing against your target (sleep debt) and how good the sleep you do get feels (sleep quality). Both are most useful as trends over a couple of weeks rather than single nights.