History Main / SeniorSleepCycle

* One episode of "WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill" dealt with Hank and the gang befriending the elderly school groundskeeper Smitty, who keeps falling asleep every time he tries to fix up the football field.

* The old man [[spoiler:Yanni Yogi]] in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'' kept falling asleep in the middle of conversations, and even the trial, and awakened when his SnotBubble popped. [[spoiler: This was all part of his act, however]].

[[quoteright:180:[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grampa_sleeping.jpg]]]]

* ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'' has Elderly!Numbuh 2 in the final episode, Operation INTERVIEWS. In the Live-Action segments, he's almost always falling asleep, and is shown to have become somewhat senile with age.

* In ''[[HeraldsOfValdemar Exile's Honor]]'', one of Alberich's undercover identities is an old man who lives this trope. "Falling asleep" after dinner lets Alberich eavesdrop on the upper classes safely.
* Bilbo Baggins, in ''Literature/LordOfTheRings.'' Used to show Bilbo's age catching up with him [[spoiler:after he gives up the One Ring.]]

* TheAnnoyingOrange's Grandpa Lemon. He falls asleep in the middle of conversations and even while being chopped in half.

* Ian Mckellan occasionally feel asleep on the set of ''Film/LordOfTheRings''.

* Suga Mama on ''TheProudFamily'' always falls asleep while watching wrestling or when she is supposed to be chaperoning Penny or babysitting the twins. Turn it off and she immediately wakes up to tell you to turn it back on, then goes back to sleep once it's back on.

* In ''VisualNovel/UminekoNoNakuKoroNi'', during a few of the murders, Nanjo's alibi is that he was asleep at the time.

In real life, several studies have suggested that people actually need ''less'' sleep as they grow older; and the portrayal of this trope in media matches the symptoms of narcolepsy, a neurological disorder unrelated to age.

This is a sub-trope of GrandparentalObliviousness. It reflect TruthInTelevision to some extent, though, as older people often tend to go to sleep earlier than younger adults, and since the elderly are usually retired, they generally have nothing in their schedule to prevent them from napping whenever they feel like it. Furthermore, some sleep disorders that can cause daytime dozing, such as sleep apnea and insomnia, are more likely to gradually develop over the course of a lifetime.

A sub-trope of GrandparentalObliviousness. Basically, if you see a senior citizen in a TV show, most likely, he's either already napping or going to be in a few minutes. And, due to FinaglesLaw, it will always be right when he's supposed to be keeping an eye, on something, or about to ...

This trope does reflect TruthInTelevision to some extent, though, as older people often tend to go to sleep earlier than younger adults, and since the elderly are usually retired, they generally have nothing in their schedule to prevent them from napping whenever they feel like it. Furthermore, some sleep disorders that can cause daytime dozing, such as sleep apnea and insomnia, are more likely to gradually develop over the course of a lifetime.

* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', Vice-Admiral Garp is about to punch Luffy when both suddenly fell asleep. Though it's less that Garp is old than that he comes from a family of [[SleepyHead narcoleptics.]]

* In ''{{WesternAnimation/Rugrats}}'', whenever Grandpa Lou is put in charge of the babies, he is always asleep within a matter of seconds, a fact that the babies always use to their advantage. TheMovie hints that age has nothing to do with this however and has been this way his whole life. Didi mentions that he slept through [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Pearl Harbor]].

* In ''{{WesternAnimation/Rugrats}}'', whenever Grandpa Lou is put in charge of the babies, he is always asleep within a matter of seconds, a fact that the babies always use to their advantage.

* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', [[BadassGrandpa Gehrman]] took it UpToEleven and slept for... a week? A year? A decade? '''''[[FridgeHorror God knows how long he's been dreaming?]]''''' [[spoiler: It was justified however, he's been stuck in his own dream unwillingly after all.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', [[BadassGrandpa Gehrman]] took it up to eleven and slept for... a week? A year? A decade? '''''[[FridgeHorror God knows how long he's been dreaming?]]''''' [[spoiler: It was justified however, he's been stuck in his own dream unwillingly after all.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', [[BadassGrandpa Gehrman]] took it up to eleven and slept for... a week? A year? A decade? '''''God knows how long he's been dreaming!''''' [[spoiler: It was justified however, he's been stuck in his own dream unwillingly after all.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', [[BadassGrandpa Gehrman]] took it up to eleven and slept for... perhap a week? A year? A decade? A century? '''''God knows how long he's been dreaming!''''' [[spoiler: It was justified however, he's been stuck in his own dream unwillingly after all.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', Gehrman took it up to eleven and slept for... perhap a week? A year? A decade? A century? '''''God knows how long he's been dreaming!''''' [[spoiler: It was justified however, he's stuck in his own dream unwillingly after all.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', Gehrman took it up to eleven and sleep for... A week? A year? A decade? '''''God knows how long he's been dreaming!''''' [[spoiler: he's the First Hunter after all.]]

* VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam has Dr Snoozemore, who falls asleep mid conversation at semi random. This makes his speeches take a fair bit longer than they would otherwise.

* Bernard, one member of the Neighborhood Watch Alliance in ''HotFuzz'', spends most of his onscreen time asleep, except for about a minute during the final confrontation.

* In ''AreYouBeingServed'', here is [[RunningGag the only way]] to wake up a sleeping Mr Grainger:

--> '''Mr. Grainger:''' Er, yes, I'm free!''

--> ''Mr. Humphries:'' Mr. Grainger, are you free?
--> ''Mr. Grainger:'' Er, yes, I'm free!''

* Crux from ''Manga/FairyTail''. However he can also use "sleep" to gather up informations about other Celestial Spirits.

* Ian Mckellan occasionally feel asleep on the set of ''Film/{{LordOfTheRings}}''.