A recent study published in the BMJ explores the impact of lifestyle and health conditions on the prevalence and incidence of cognitive decline. Study: Sleep duration, chronotype, health and lifestyle factors affect cognition: a UK Biobank cross-sectional study . Image Credit: Stock-Asso / Shutterstock.
com As the aging population continues to grow throughout the world, cognitive decline represents a significant public health challenge. Sleep is essential for human health and survival. In fact, adequate sleep is necessary for restoring normal metabolism to body tissues, consolidating memories, learning, regulating emotions, and immune function.
Sleep quality and duration influence the risk of cognitive decline, with both extended and shorter sleep durations associated with reduced cognitive ability. Reduced sleep quality is also associated with an increased risk of neurodegenerative disease, metabolic dysfunction, autoimmune disease, and vascular disease. These effects could be attributed to neuroinflammation, activation of the complement system, poor learning and memory function, and impaired hippocampal learning.
Chronotypes, or sleep patterns, indicate at what time an individual naturally prefers to sleep. Like sleep quality and duration, an individual’s chronotype is also a determining factor in their risk of cognitive impairment; however, these associations remain unclear. Data for the current study were obtained from the United Kingdom Biobank database.
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