Memory problems for bad sleepers over 50

Do you struggle with your memory when you get too much or too little sleep?  A new study has found that people over 50 suffering sleep problems (either too much or too little sleep) recorded lower brain function scores than those getting 8 hours a night.

Researchers from the University of Warwick, UK, analysed sleep and cognitive data from 3,968 men and 4,821 women who took part in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), reporting on their quality and quantity of sleep over the period of a month.  The findings showed that in adults aged between 50 and 64 years, those who slept less than 6 hours or more than 8 hours suffered lower brain function scores while in older adults, over 65, the lower brain function scores were only seen in those who slept longer than 8 hours a day.

“6-8 hours of sleep per night is particularly important in younger adults for optimum brain function as it helps physical health, lowers the risk of developing obesity, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and stroke,” said Dr Michelle A Miller, one of the leaders of the study. 

This study leads to the conclusion that sleep management could well offer a lower cost and more sensible public health benefit that pharmaceutical treatments for cognitive decline.

“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,” said Professor Francesco Cappuccio in one media report.

How many hours sleep do you get in one night?