Disrupted Sleep During 30s and 40s Can Impair Later Cognitive Functions: Study

Sleep disruptions experienced by a person in their thirties or forties can result in cognitive decline once they grow older, according to a recent peer-reviewed study. The study, published in the Neurology journal on Jan. 3, examined the association between sleep quantity and quality among individuals in their mid-30s and late 40s with their cognitive performance. It evaluated 526 individuals who were followed up for 11 years. Researchers looked into sleep fragmentation, which measures the multiple short interruptions to sleep. The study calculated that participants had an average sleep fragmentation of 19.2 percent, meaning roughly a fifth of their sleep was disrupted. Participants also completed memory and thinking tests. During the study, 45.6 percent of respondents reported having poor sleep quality, with an average of 6.1 hours of sleep per day. People who had the most disrupted sleep during their 30s and 40s were found to be more likely to have memory and thinking issues a decade later....