Associations Between Physical Activity, Insomnia, and Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome (CDS) Among Young Adults Using...

Individuals with cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS) report both lower physical activity levels and more insomnia than the general population. However, reliable data on adults with CDS are missing so far. The aims of the present study were three-fold: (1) to investigate the associations between CDS and physical activity patterns among young adults, and more specifically dimensions of physical activity (walking time/week, bicycling time/week, and aerobic physical activity/week), (2) to explore, if CDS scores, physical activity patterns, and insomnia were interrelated, and (3) to explore, if physical activity was directly or indirectly associated with CDS via decreased insomnia.

A total of 246 young adult students (M_age = 22.62; 56.3% females) participated in the present cross-sectional study. They completed a booklet of questionnaires covering socio-demographic information, cognitive disengagement syndrome (Adult Concentration Inventory; ACI), physical activity patterns (International Physical Activity Questionnaire; IPAQ), and insomnia (Insomnia Severity Index; ISI).

Higher scores for the ACI as a proxy of CDS were associated with lower physical activity patterns (durations of walking, bicycling, and aerobic exercising per week), and with higher scores for insomnia. Conditional effects modelings showed that while there was no direct and indirect association of physical activity on CDS scores, both a direct and indirect association of insomnia via lower physical activity on higher CDS scores was observed.

Among a smaller sample of young adults, higher CDS scores were associated with lower physical activity patterns and with more insomnia. Given that standardized behavioral intervention programs are available to improve both daily and weekly physical activity patterns and insomnia, such interventions might also favorably improve CDS.