According to a recent study, average middle-aged and older persons need to sleep for seven hours. According to University of Cambridge scientists, the mind requires seven hours of sleep per night to function cognitively and mentally at its best.
Little or excess sleep can lead to cognitive decline
Previous research has shown that getting little or excessive amounts of sleep as we age might result in cognitive decline and mental health issues. In a recent study, researchers looked at data from nearly 500,000 adults in the U.K. and China aged between 38 and 73. Participants were questioned about their sleep habits, mental health, and general wellbeing.
The researchers discovered a link between sleep length, both inadequate and excess, and cognitive function, including processing speed, ocular attention, recollection, and problem-solving abilities. The results showed that sleeping for seven each night was the ideal quantity of sleep for cognitive function. It’s also beneficial for psychological health, with respondents reporting decreased general wellbeing and an increase in anxiety and depressive symptoms after sleeping for shorter or longer durations.
Sleep can prevent dementia
One explanation offered by researchers for all of this is whenever “deep sleep” is disturbed, amyloid protein can accumulate and form “tangles” in mind. One of the telltale signs of dementia is these tangles.
Furthermore, sleep deprivation may make it harder for the brain to get rid of pollutants. Older persons may be more susceptible to age-related disorders, as previous research has also shown that sleep disruptions promote inflammation.
Professors Barbara Sahakian stated in a university release, “Getting a good night’s sleep is important at all stages of life, but particularly as we age. Finding ways to improve sleep for older people could be crucial to helping them maintain good mental health and wellbeing and avoiding cognitive decline, particularly for patients with psychiatric disorders and dementias.”
Professor Jianfeng Feng from Fudan University in China stated that while they cannot definitively state that either insufficient or excessive sleep leads to cognitive impairments, their research of individuals over a longer period of time seems to corroborate this notion.
