Sleep Need and Sleep Avoidance Are Different
Sleep is a biological need. Older adults generally need about as much of it as other adults, even though its timing and quality may change with age.
Sleep can also be part of how someone responds to a difficult experience. A person may go to bed because they are tired or because being asleep offers temporary distance from a conversation, decision, or uncertainty. The two can look alike from outside.
An extra hour is not evidence of avoidance. Illness, medication, habits, and changing sleep patterns can all matter. Persistent sleepiness or a major change deserves appropriate medical attention.
The useful inquiry is observational rather than accusatory: what is the body asking for, and is sleep also being asked to hide something we need to face? Sometimes the answer is simply rest.