Total Sleep Time Interacts With Age to Predict Cognitive Performance Among Adults

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Gerontology

Background:

• Sleep duration is a critical factor influencing cognitive function.
• Interactions between sleep, age, and memory concerns may impact cognition.
• Understanding these relationships is vital for maintaining cognitive health across the lifespan.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine how sleep duration interacts with age and memory-related factors in predicting cognitive performance.
• To assess the association of sleep duration with cognitive tests, considering personal and familial memory history.
• To investigate the impact of sleep on attention, executive function, and memory recall.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from an internet-based cohort study.
• Employed ordinary least squares regression with restricted cubic splines.
• Controlled for demographic variables and comorbidities in the analysis.

Main Results:

• Identified significant nonlinear interactions between sleep duration and age, and sleep duration and personal memory history.
• Short and long sleep durations were associated with poorer attention, particularly in younger and older adults.
• Self-reported memory complaints exacerbated the negative impact of sleep duration on attention.

Conclusions:

• Sleep duration's impact on cognition varies with age and personal memory history.
• Findings highlight the importance of sleep duration for attention across the lifespan.
• Further longitudinal research with biomarkers is recommended to explore causal mechanisms.