Self-reported sleep duration and cognitive performance in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Lo, June C.; Groeger, John A.; Cheng, Grand H.; Dijk, Derk-Jan; Chee, Michael W. L.

Abstract

Sleep is important for optimal cognitive functioning across the lifespan. Among older adults (≥ 55 years), self-reported short and long sleep durations have been repeatedly, albeit inconsistently, reported to elevate the risk for poor cognitive function. This meta-analytic review quantitatively summarizes the risk for poorer cognitive function among short and long sleepers in older adults. Eligible publications were searched online and manually. A total of 35 independent samples (N = 97,264) from 11 cross-sectional and seven prospective cohort studies were included. Pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were derived using random-effects models. Self-reported short and long sleep increased the odds for poor cognitive function by 1.40 (CI = 1.27–1.56) and 1.58 times (CI = 1.43–1.74), respectively. Effect sizes varied across studies and may have been moderated by both study type (cross-sectional and prospective) and cognitive domain assessed. For cross-sectional studies, extreme sleep durations were significantly associated with poorer multiple-domain performance, executive functions, verbal memory, and working memory capacity. Prospective cohort studies revealed significant long-term impact of short and long sleep on multiple-domain performance only. These findings establish self-reported extreme sleep duration as a risk factor for cognitive aging.

Citation

Lo, J. C., Groeger, J. A., Cheng, G. H., Dijk, D.-J., & Chee, M. W. L. (2016). Self-reported sleep duration and cognitive performance in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep medicine, 17, 87-98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2015.08.021

• Journal Article Type: Review
• Acceptance Date: Aug 8, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Sep 25, 2016
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Nov 6, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 23, 2017
• Journal: Sleep medicine
• Print ISSN: 1389-9457
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 17
• Pages: 87-98
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2015.08.021
• Keywords: Sleep duration; Cognitive function; Older adults; Review; Meta-analysis
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/380907
• Publisher URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1389945715019796
• Additional Information: This is an open access article published in Sleep Medicine, 2015.
• Contract Date: Nov 23, 2017