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Review
. 2018 Mar;13(1):93-106.
doi: 10.1016/j.jsmc.2017.09.009. Epub 2017 Dec 8.

Sleep and Cognition in Older Adults

Joseph M Dzierzewski  1 , Natalie Dautovich  2 , Scott Ravyts  3
Affiliations
Review

Sleep and Cognition in Older Adults

Joseph M Dzierzewski et al. Sleep Med Clin. 2018 Mar.

Abstract

Increased age is associated with normative declines in both sleep and cognitive functioning. Although there are some inconsistencies in the literature, negative sleep changes are associated with worse cognitive functioning. This negative relationship holds true across normal-sleeping older adults, older adults with insomnia, older adults with sleep disordered breathing, cognitively healthy older adults, and older adults with dementia. There are mixed results regarding potential benefits of sleep treatments on cognitive functions; however, this line of research deserves added attention because the potential mechanisms of action are likely distinct from other interventions to improve cognition.

Keywords: Age; Aging; Cognition; Cognitive function; Insomnia; Sleep; Sleep apnea.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure statement:

No other authors report commercial or financial conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Normative changes with age in both cognitive functioning and sleep. Solid arrows represent general cognitive changes. Dashed arrows represent general sleep changes. Cognitive abilities that decline with age include: processing speed, working memory, long-term memory, attention, reasoning, and executive control. Sleep characteristics that decline with age include: total sleep time, slow wave sleep, and REM sleep. Sleep characteristics that increase with age include: waketime after sleep onset, and light sleep (Stages N1 and N2). Crystalized intelligence and sleep onset latency both demonstrated slight increased with advancing age.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Model depicting the relationships between (1) insomnia/disturbed sleep, (2) sleep disordered breathing and cognitive functioning in older adults. Factors listed in dashed box represent potential mechanisms through which sleep may impact cognitive functioning. Adapted from.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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MeSH terms