Warwick research reveals link between poor sleep and brain functioning amongst ageing

Research conducted by professors at the University of Warwick has indicated that poor memory and brain functioning in older people is linked to sleep problems.

The findings of the research published in the online scientific journal, PLOS ONE, shows that there is a connection between quality and duration of sleep and brain function. This connection changes with age.

The study, with which Warwick academics Dr Michelle Miller and Professor Francesco Cappuccio were involved, drew data from 3,968 men and 4,821 women in an analysis of sleep and cognitive function.

Participants were taking part in the broader English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) and, over the period of a month, reported on the quality and quantity of their sleep.

The group of participants aged between 50 and 64 showed lower brain function scores when getting both short amounts of sleep (under 6 hours per night) and long amounts of sleep (over 8 hours per night).

However, lower brain function scores were only recorded in longer sleepers amongst older adults (65-89 years).

As for younger adults (50 and below), the study showed that quality of sleep did not have any dominant connection with brain function scores.

However, amongst the older adults (65 years and above) there was a significant link between sleep quality and cognitive ability.

Professor Francesco Cappuccio remarked: “Optimising sleep at an older age may help to delay the decline in brain function seen with age, or indeed may slow or prevent the rapid decline that leads to dementia.”

Dr Michelle Miller added: “If poor sleep is causative of future cognitive decline, non-pharmacological improvements in sleep may provide a low-cost and accessible alternative… to delay or slow the rate of cognitive decline.”

In connection with their research findings, Dr Miller and Professor Cappuccio spoke on the topic of sleep and its connection with health at a free public seminar. This took place at the University on Friday 27 June.

The event, entitled “Sleep and Cognition in the life-course: from development to decline”, saw a number of academics from the Psychology department and Warwick Medical School speaking on a range of topics related to sleep and brain functioning.