Longer Sleep Duration Linked to Poorer Cognitive Outcomes in Older Adults

A study published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry found sleep duration among Americans 60 or older to be associated with poorer verbal memory, semantic fluency, working memory, and processing speed, reports Psychiatry Advisor . Longer sleep duration also may imply fragmented sleep or neurodegeneration in older adults. The researchers analyzed data from a cohort of 1,496 adults who completed the 2013 to 2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, with weekday/workday nighttime sleep duration the chief predictor. Sleep duration of 10 or more hours was associated with poorer cognitive outcome, with no significant linkage between shorter sleep duration and cognition. The investigators recommended that future studies consider both daytime and nighttime sleep as it relates to cognitive performance and decline. "This knowledge could be used to inform public health policy, clinical guideline development, and both clinical assessment and practice," they concluded.