Sleep Quality in 30s and 40s May Predict Cognitive Challenges in the Future, Study Reveals
A recent study published in Neurology, the official journal of the American Academy of Neurology, has unveiled a concerning link between disrupted sleep in one’s 30s and 40s and the likelihood of experiencing memory and cognitive difficulties a decade later.
The research, led by Dr. Yue Leng from the University of California, San Francisco, delves into the impact of both the duration and quality of sleep on cognitive health. Participants in the study, totaling 526 individuals with an average age of 40, were closely monitored for 11 years.
Wearing wrist activity monitors for three consecutive days on two separate occasions about a year apart, participants revealed an average sleep duration of six hours. Dr. Leng emphasizes the importance of understanding the connection between sleep and cognition, especially in middle age, as early signs of Alzheimer’s disease may manifest in the brain decades before noticeable symptoms emerge.
“Our findings indicate that the quality rather than the quantity of sleep matters most for cognitive health in middle age,” Dr. Leng noted.
The study examined various aspects of sleep, including duration, quality, and fragmentation. Participants reported bedtimes and wake times in a sleep diary and completed a sleep quality survey. Of the 239 individuals reporting poor sleep quality (scoring greater than five on the survey), 46 percent exhibited cognitive challenges in the subsequent years.
Researchers assessed sleep fragmentation, measuring repetitive short interruptions during sleep. Participants with the most disrupted sleep, constituting 175 individuals, showed a significant association with poor cognitive performance after a decade compared to those with the least disrupted sleep.
Even after adjusting for factors like age, gender, race, and education, individuals with the most disrupted sleep had over twice the odds of experiencing poor cognitive performance compared to their counterparts with less disrupted sleep.
While no significant difference in cognitive performance was observed in the middle group, researchers stress the need for more extensive research to explore the connection between sleep disturbances and cognition at various life stages. Identifying critical life periods when sleep strongly influences cognition remains an essential avenue for future investigation.
