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 Researchers examined data from four studies of the link between
sleep and cognitive function, including two studies that followed
almost 3,400 people for more than two decades, starting when they
were in their 50s. In these two cohorts, people who suffered from
nightmares and insomnia in middle age were more likely to experience
cognitive impairment in old age than people who slept just fine
earlier on.
When researchers examined these two studies as well as two others
that started following people in their 70s and 80s, they found that
insomnia and general sleep problems later in life were also
associated with cognitive problems.
“While sleep disturbances are an important risk factor for cognitive
decline, the good news is that it is a modifiable risk factor,” said
lead study author Shireen Sindi of the Karolinska Institute in
Stockholm, Sweden, and Imperial College London.
“We can all have occasional sleeping difficulties, either due to
high stress levels, caffeine or alcohol consumption or due to jet
lag,” Sindi said by email. “However, if a person experiences sleep
disturbances on a chronic basis such as difficulties falling asleep,
waking up during the middle of the night, waking up too early in the
morning, or suffering from poor sleep quality, it is important to
seek help from a health professional.”
Even though sleep deprivation and difficulties with getting a good
night's rest have long been linked to cognitive problems over time,
less has been known about what precise type of sleep issues might
impact brain function, researchers note in Sleep Medicine.
For the current study, researchers pooled data from four smaller
studies of people in the general population in Sweden.
After just three to 11 years, sleep disturbances including insomnia
were associated with lower scores on tests of cognitive function,
the study found.
When people had nightmares in middle age, this was associated with
poor cognition later in life after 21 to 31 years of follow-up, the
study also found.
This association, however, was partially explained by other factors
that can impact both sleep quality and brain function - such as
smoking, drinking and exercise habits as well as mental health
issues.
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One limitation of the study is that sleep problems were reported by
participants, not measured objectively by researchers or doctors.
Researchers also lacked data on certain risk factors for Alzheimer’s
disease, dementia and cognitive decline.
“There are some fascinating links between Alzheimer’s disease and
sleep quality, most likely due to a complex bidirectional
relationship between poor sleep and a greater amount of amyloid, one
of the key proteins that accumulates in Alzheimer’s disease,” said
Dr. Kristine Yaffe, a psychiatry researcher at the University of
California, San Francisco, who wasn’t involved in the study.
“Other possible mechanisms include brain vascular changes,
inflammation and shared genetic causes,” Yaffe said by email.
A wide variety of treatments may help address sleep disturbances,
including medication, cognitive behavior therapy and lifestyle
changes to eliminate things like cigarettes and alcohol and focus on
healthy eating habits and a regular exercise routine, Sindi advised.
“Numerous treatments and strategies are available to help with
sleeping problems, and the optimal solution will differ according to
the underlying problem and its causes,” said Matthew Pase, a
researcher at the University of Technology in Melbourne and the
Boston University School of Medicine.
“No one sleep therapy is a cure for all,” Pase said by email. “It is
still unclear whether treatment of sleep problems can reduce the
likelihood of future cognitive decline, but improving sleep is
likely to have beneficial effects on other aspects of general
wellbeing and health.”
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2G9ccbT Sleep Medicine, online January 3,
2018.
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