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. 2019 Aug;15(8):1039-1047.
doi: 10.1016/j.jalz.2019.04.009. Epub 2019 Jun 18.

Objective napping, cognitive decline, and risk of cognitive impairment in older men

Yue Leng  1 , Susan Redline  2 , Katie L Stone  3 , Sonia Ancoli-Israel  4 , Kristine Yaffe  5
Affiliations

Objective napping, cognitive decline, and risk of cognitive impairment in older men

Yue Leng et al. Alzheimers Dement. 2019 Aug.

Abstract

Introduction: Little is known about the longitudinal association between napping and cognitive impairment in older adults.

Methods: We used wrist actigraphy to measure naps in 2751 community-dwelling older men. Cognition was assessed repeatedly over 12 years, and clinically significant cognitive impairment was determined by physician diagnosis, Alzheimer's medication use or a significant cognitive decline.

Results: After adjustment for all covariates, men with longer napping duration had greater cognitive decline and higher risk of cognitive impairment. Men who napped for ≥120 min/day (vs. <30 min/day) were 66% more likely to develop cognitive impairment (odds ratio = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.09-2.54) in 12 years. Further adjustment for nighttime sleep quality did not appreciably alter the results. The association between napping and cognitive impairment was more pronounced among those with higher sleep efficiency and average sleep duration.

Discussion: Napping might be useful as an early marker of cognitive impairment in the elderly, and its cognitive effects may differ by nighttime sleep.

Keywords: Cognitive decline; Cognitive impairment; Daytime sleepiness; Dementia; Epidemiology; Longitudinal study; Napping; Sleep.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Multivariable*-adjusted ORs (95%CI) of cognitive impairment by napping duration
*Adjusted for age, education, BMI, smoking, physical activity, depressive symptoms, history of stroke, coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, sleep medication use and baseline 3MS score. N for each napping duration group of <30min, 30–59min, 60–119min and ≥120min was 1061, 795, 642 and 253, respectively.
Figure 2
Figure 2. >Multivariable*-adjusted ORs (95%CI) of cognitive impairment associated with napping duration, stratified by A) nighttime sleep duration and B) sleep efficiency
*Adjusted for age, education, BMI, smoking, physical activity, depressive symptoms, history of stroke, coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, sleep medication use and baseline 3MS score.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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