- New research suggests that the amount of time people sleep and the amount of time they spend in bed (TB) can affect their risk of developing dementia.
- Long-term TB was associated with cognitive decline in men and women aged 60–74 years, even in those without dementia.
- The researchers suggested that monitoring the cognitive function of older people with long-term TB or early bedtimes may put them at risk for dementia.
China has the world’s largest population of people with dementia, a neurodegenerative disorder. at least
However, most sleep and cognitive impairment studies have focused on Caucasian populations in North America and Europe.
A recent population-based study of elderly people in rural China linked longer sleep and earlier sleep time to dementia risk.
The study also found cognitive decline associated with longer periods of sleep and earlier bedtimes, even in people who did not experience dementia at the time of the study. However, this unique finding was only seen in older adults and men aged 60-74 years.
This clinical examination is shown in
Sleep is a complex biological process. Aging-related changes in sleep duration and quality are associated with cognitive impairment.
Medical news today We discussed this study Dr. Verna PorterNeurologist and Director of Dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease and Neurocognitive Disorders at Providence St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA who is not involved in the current research.
“Studies evaluating urban adults other than white (Caucasian) populations, particularly those from North America or Western Europe, are needed. This study evaluated rural adults from China.” […] by different socioeconomic, cultural, educational and lifestyle factors,” said Dr. Porter.
Older people in rural China go to bed earlier, get up earlier and
The aim of the current study was to “examine the association of self-reported sleep characteristics (eg, TB, sleep duration, sleep duration, sleep quality, and EDS) with risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and cognitive decline.” Potential relationships with demographic characteristics and APOE genotypeHe said.
The current cohort study recruited participants in Shandong Yanggu Study of Aging and Dementiainvolving rural elderly in western Shandong Province.
In the year Over several months in 2014, the researchers conducted clinical examinations, in-person interviews and laboratory tests on 3,274 people aged 60 and older.
In this initial group, a total of 1,982 survivors participated in the follow-up examination in 2018. Scientists studied sleep patterns at both baseline and follow-up.
They pointed out the following features:
- TB
- Bed time
- Mid-sleep (intermediate between bedtime and wake-up, to represent circadian phase)
- Sleep latency (time taken to fall asleep at night in minutes)
- Sleep efficiency (amount of time it takes to fall asleep in bed)
The authors of the study Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) To measure cognitive function. They used criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) to diagnose mental illness.
Next, the researchers recorded the results of a statistical model adjusted for age, gender and education.
They used another model to adjust for body mass index, smoking, alcohol use, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and APOE genotype.
During the study’s average follow-up period of 3.7 years, 97 of the 1,982 participants were diagnosed with dementia.
The mean age of the participants at baseline was 70.05. Females constituted 59.6% of the sample, 83% were aged 60-74 and 38.2% of the subjects had no formal education.
Those who slept more than 8 hours had a 69% higher risk of dementia compared to those who slept 7-8 hours. The risk is doubled for those who go to bed before 9:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m. or later.
Among those who did not develop dementia during the study, measures of baseline length of TB, early bedtime and bedtime, and early and late rise time were significantly “associated” with cognitive decline as measured by MMSE scores.
Furthermore, although dementia outcomes were similar across demographic groups, changes in cognitive decline in dementia-free individuals were only evident among individuals aged 60–74 years, but not among those aged 75 and older.
Similarly, the study showed that early and late periods of increase were associated with lower MMSE scores in men, but not in women.
Dr. Porter suggests risk factors for cognitive decline in men:
“Cultural expectations [regarding] Traditional gender roles, and [their] The impact on job choice and socioeconomic participation may affect men in rural China due to their repeated role as the primary ‘breadwinner’ and their cultural differences in highly demanding and stressful employment.
MNT They also discussed this study. Dr. A.S. Michael Schneider-BerryProfessor of Psychiatry and Director of the Sagol Neuroscience Research Center at the Sheba Medical Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.
Dr. Beery noted a strong correlation between sleep and cognitive decline in men. Certain sleep disorders such as sleep apnea [which is] “They are more prevalent in men, which may be part of the explanation,” she said.
However, as Dr. Porter pointed out MNT The study did not determine the presence or absence of sleep apnea.
Dr. Beery was impressed that the study covered a wide range of sleep disorders. The unique population, large sample size and adjustment for factors including age, gender, education and more made this a robust work, she said.
But the results do not show rationality. For example, the researchers were unable to identify the exact causes of age-related differences and cognitive decline. Gender differences in cognitive outcomes are still “poorly understood.”
The study also did not take into account mood-related symptoms or daytime sleepiness, which is common among elderly people in rural China.
Another limitation of this study is self-reporting, which carries recall bias. Several tests could have produced false-positive associations, the study authors noted.
Because the study participants came from only one region of China, the researchers cautioned caution in generalizing the results to other populations.
Dr. Porter also noted that the follow-up period was short.
The study’s authors hope their findings “may partially address the knowledge gap” regarding people of lower socioeconomic status.
Their results should encourage monitoring of older adults who report chronic TB and high sleep duration, especially older individuals, they say. [ages] 60-74 years and men.
Future work may explore how reducing TB and adjusting sleep timing can prevent cognitive decline and dementia.