American scientists from Washington State University found that unbalanced sleep duration in older people is significantly associated with cognitive impairment. The article was published in the scientific journal magazine JAMA Network Open.
The experts’ conclusions are based on a long-term study from 1993 to 2012 in which participants filled out surveys to assess their average nightly sleep duration. The subjects answered the same questions at intervals of 3-5 years, allowing them to track changes in their sleep patterns over time. A total of 826 people with an average age of 76.3 participated in the project.
The cognitive health of the trial participants was monitored using neuropsychological tests performed every 5-7 years. Volunteers who scored below certain thresholds on these tests were classified as having cognitive impairment.
Researchers found that older participants tended to report getting more sleep. The distribution of sleep duration categories varied significantly with age; A higher percentage of older adults often slept longer hours.
But the key finding was the link between sleep variability and cognitive health. It turns out that variability in sleep duration is a more distinctive feature than consistent increases or decreases in sleep duration.
“It appears that it is variability in sleep timing rather than gradual changes in sleep duration that is associated with cognitive impairment. Events that can cause sudden changes in sleep duration (injuries, illnesses, changes in marital status, depression) are more important for mental functioning,” explained study author Professor Geoffrey Iliffe. .
According to scientists, their discoveries show that when assessing the mental functions of older people, not only sleep duration but also sudden changes in its duration should be taken into account. Sleep quality is an important indicator of brain health; Up to 90% of people with dementia experience sleep disturbances before the onset of the main symptoms of the disease.
Previous scientists I learnedHow insomnia contributes to the development of dementia.
Source: Gazeta
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