Association Between Sleep Efficiency Variability and Cognition Among Older Adults: Cross-Sectional Accelerometer...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Sleep Science
• Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

• Sleep efficiency is a key indicator of sleep quality.
• High-quality sleep is linked to better cognitive function in older adults.
• The impact of day-to-day sleep quality variability on cognition remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between sleep efficiency variability and cognitive function in adults over 65.
• To utilize accelerometer data and cognitive tests to assess this relationship.

Main Methods:

• 1074 older adults (aged >65) from NHANES with >=5 days of accelerometer data were analyzed.
• Sleep efficiency was calculated using a machine learning algorithm.
• Associations between sleep efficiency variability and cognitive tests (DSST, CERAD-WL, AFT) were adjusted for numerous health and demographic factors.

Main Results:

• Greater sleep efficiency variability was associated with poorer performance on the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) and Animal Fluency Test (AFT) after adjustments.
• Higher average sleep efficiency correlated with better scores on DSST and AFT.
• No significant association was found between sleep efficiency variability and the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease Word-Learning subtest (CERAD-WL).

Conclusions:

• Sleep efficiency variability is linked to diminished cognitive function in older adults.
• Interventions aimed at improving sleep consistency may help preserve cognitive function.
• Further research is needed to understand the nuances of sleep variability and cognitive health.