Poor Quality of Sleep Linked with Worse Brain Function in Older Adults

First Posted: Jun 27, 2014 06:16 AM EDT
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A new study highlights a strong association between sleep problems and poor memory and executive function in aging adults.

It is a well-known fact that sleep is extremely essential for cognitive performance. Studies conducted earlier have revealed how poor quality of sleep among the elderly triggers a significant memory loss.  Adding evidence to this is the new study led by researchers at the University of Warwick, indicating improper sleep is linked with bad memory and executive function in older people. The finding clearly highlights the relation between both the quality as well as duration of sleep and brain function that alters with age.

The researchers analyzed the sleep and cognitive data of 3,968 men and 4,821 women who participated in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). As a part of the study, the participants were asked to report the quality as well as quantity of sleep over a month. 

The researchers observed that in adults aged 50-64, short sleep of less than six hours per night and long sleep, more than eight hours per night, was associated with poor brain function scores. Whereas in older adults of age 65-89, poor brain function scores were observed in long sleepers.

Dr Michelle A Miller says, "6-8 hours of sleep per night is particularly important for optimum brain function, in younger adults". These results are consistent with our previous research, which showed that 6-8 hours of sleep per night was optimal for physical health, including lowest risk of developing obesity, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and stroke".

In the younger pre-retirement aged adults, quality of sleep did not have any significant relation with the brain function scores but among older adults of age more than 65, a significant association was seen between quality of sleep and observed scores.

"Sleep is important for good health and mental wellbeing" says Professor Francesco Cappuccio, "Optimising sleep at an older age may help to delay the decline in brain function seen with age, or indeed may slow or prevent the rapid decline that leads to dementia".

The study was documented in PLOS One. 

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