summary: Not getting enough sleep can offset the cognitive benefits you get from regular physical activity.
Researchers studied cognitive function in about 9,000 Britons aged 50 and over over a 10-year period. They found that people who were physically active but slept less than six hours had faster cognitive decline.
Therefore, after 10 years, their cognitive function was similar to their less physically active peers.
Important facts:
- The study demonstrated a rapid decline in cognitive function in physically active people in their 50s and 60s who slept less than 6 hours a night.
- For older participants (70 years and older), cognitive benefits from exercise were maintained despite less sleep.
- This finding highlights the importance of considering sleep and physical activity together for cognitive health.
sauce: UCL
Regular physical activity may protect against age-related cognitive decline, but this protective effect may be diminished in people who don’t get enough sleep, according to a new study by UCL researchers. It is said that there is a sexuality.
This research lancet health longevityexamined cognitive functioning over 10 years in 8,958 people aged 50 and over in the United Kingdom. The research team investigated how different combinations of sleep and physical activity habits affect people’s cognitive function over time.
They found that people who were physically active but who slept less (<6 hours on average) had faster cognitive decline overall. This means that cognitive function after 10 years will be similar to those with less physical activity.
Lead author Michaela Bloomberg, Ph.D., UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Healthcare, said: This shows how important it is to consider sleep and physical activity together when thinking about cognitive health.
“Previous studies investigating how sleep and physical activity combine to affect cognitive function have been largely cross-sectional and focused only on point-in-time snapshots. And we were surprised that regular physical activity might not always be enough to counter the long-term effects of sleep deprivation affecting cognitive health. ”
Consistent with previous studies, this study found that 6–8 hours of sleep each night and higher levels of physical activity were associated with improved cognitive function.
People who were physically active also had better cognitive function, regardless of how long they slept at the start of the study. This situation changed in his decade, with more physically active short sleepers (less than 6 hours) experiencing more rapid cognitive decline.
This rapid decline was true for people in their 50s and 60s in this group, whereas for older participants (70 years and older), the cognitive benefits of exercise were maintained despite less sleep. It seemed to be
Co-author Professor Andrew Steptoe, UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, said: , delaying the diagnosis of dementia.
“The World Health Organization has already identified physical activity as a way to maintain cognitive function, but interventions should also consider sleep habits to maximize long-term benefits for cognitive health. “
In this study, the researchers used data from the UK Longitudinal Study on Aging (ELSA), a nationally representative cohort study in the UK.
Participants were asked about their average sleep duration on weekday nights and divided into three sleep groups: short sleep (less than 6 hours), optimal sleep (6 to 8 hours), and long sleep group (8 hours or more). rice field.
Subjects were also given a score based on self-reported frequency and intensity of physical activity, divided into a more active group (top third of the score list) and a less active group ( The remaining two thirds) were divided into two groups.
Cognitive function was assessed by an episodic memory test (where participants were asked to recall a list of 10 words both immediately and after a delay) and a verbal fluency test (where participants were asked to name as many animals as possible in one minute). ) was evaluated based on .
The researchers adjusted for a number of confounders, including that participants were more likely to perform better because they had taken the same cognitive test before.
We also excluded those with a self-reported diagnosis of dementia and those whose test scores indicated some cognitive impairment, so that preclinical Alzheimer’s disease-related behavioral changes (e.g., sleep disturbances) erroneously affected the results. I tried not to give it.
In terms of study limitations, the researchers relied on participants to self-report their sleep duration and physical activity. According to the researchers, next steps would be to replicate the results in a more diverse study population, explore more cognitive and sleep quality domains, and use objective measures such as wearable physical activity trackers. It might be.
Funding: This study was funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council.
About this exercise, sleep and cognition research news
author: Mark Greaves
sauce: UCL
contact: Mark Greaves – UCL
image: Image credited to Neuroscience News
Original research: open access.
“Associations between physical activity and sleep duration and cognitive aging: a longitudinal analysis of a UK cohort studyBy Michaela Bloomberg et al. lancet health longevity
overview
Associations between physical activity and sleep duration and cognitive aging: a longitudinal analysis of a UK cohort study
Background
Physical activity and sleep duration are important factors related to cognitive function and dementia risk. How physical activity and sleep interact to affect cognitive aging is poorly studied. We aimed to examine the association between the combination of physical activity and sleep duration and cognitive trajectories over 10 years.
method
In this longitudinal study, we analyzed data from the UK Longitudinal Study on Aging collected at biennial follow-up between 1 January 2008 and 31 July 2019. Participants were cognitively healthy adults at least 50 years old at baseline. Participants were asked about their baseline physical activity and nighttime sleep duration. In each interview, immediate and delayed recall tasks were used to assess episodic memory, and an animal-naming task was used to assess verbal fluency. Scores were standardized and averaged to generate a composite cognitive score. Independent and joint associations between physical activity (low or high physical activity, based on a score that takes into account frequency and intensity of physical activity) and sleep duration (short physical activity) using linear mixed models examined gender. [<6 h]Optimal [6–8 h]or long [>8 h]) cognitive performance at baseline, cognitive performance after 10 years of follow-up, and rate of cognitive decline.
Investigation result
8,958 respondents aged 50 to 95 years at baseline (median follow-up 10 years) [IQR 2–10]). Low physical activity and suboptimal sleep were independently associated with cognitive decline. Less sleep was also associated with faster cognitive decline. At baseline, participants with higher physical activity and optimal sleep had higher cognitive scores than all combinations of lower physical activity and sleep categories (e.g., higher physical activity and optimal sleep difference between participants with versus Those with low physical activity and short sleep duration at baseline age 50 years had a score of 0.14 SD. [95% CI 0·05–0·24]). No differences in baseline cognitive performance were found between sleep categories within higher physical activity categories. Because people who were more physically active and who slept less had a faster rate of cognitive decline than those who were more physically active and who slept optimally, 10-year scores were associated with physical activity regardless of sleep duration. comparable to those who reported lower amounts (eg, differences in sleep duration). After 10 years of follow-up, cognitive performance was 0 20 SD between those with high physical activity and optimal sleep and those with low physical activity and short sleep. [0·08–0·33]the difference between those with high physical activity and optimal sleep and those with low physical activity and short sleep was 0.22 SD [0·11–0·34]).
interpretation
Baseline cognitive effects associated with more frequent, high-intensity physical activity were insufficient to ameliorate the more rapid cognitive decline associated with short sleep. Physical activity interventions should also consider sleep habits to maximize the benefits of physical activity for long-term cognitive health.
fundraising
UK Economic and Social Research Council.
