Willie B. Thomas via Getty Images There's a reason why older people tend to wake up earlier in the mornings — it's a part of the natural aging process. There are many jokes that center around older adults waking up before the sun, and even more about teenagers’ late-sleeping habits. The nerves that are supposed to give the brain time cues have undergone the same amount of degeneration as the brain, Parthasarathy said. For younger people, melatonin “starts rising after sunset,” Parthasarathy said, which is why you generally feel tired a few hours after. For people with cataracts whose brain thinks sunset was earlier, their perceived sunset is earlier, which makes them tired sooner in the evening.

Source: Huffington Post December 06, 2025 19:24 UTC