Multidimensional sleep health and cognitive function across adulthood.

Study Objectives: Sleep is essential for proper function of the mind and body. Studies report the effect of sleep problems on cognition but focus on only a single or limited number of sleep indicators or on clinical populations (e.g., sleep apnea), and/or provide only cross-sectional results. This study examined cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between multidimensional assessment of sleep health and cognitive function.

Methods: 3398 adults (M=56years) provided self-reported sleep and objective cognitive data for the Midlife in the United States study. A subsample of 2119 participants also provided sleep and cognitive data at follow-up approximately 9years later. A multidimensional, composite measure of sleep health composed of regularity, satisfaction, alertness, efficiency, and duration based on the Ru-SATED model was utilized (higher score=better sleep health) to evaluate self-reported sleep, and cognitive function was assessed using the Brief Test of Adult Cognition by Telephone.

Results: Cross-sectionally, better sleep health was associated with better cognition (B=0.121, SE=0.017, p<.001). This relationship remained significant even after adjusting for sociodemographic and health covariates (B=0.039, SE=0.014, p=.006). Longitudinally, improvement in sleep health from baseline to follow-up was associated with better cognitive performance at follow-up (B=0.031, SE=0.011, p=.004); however, this relationship did not remain significant after adjusting for covariates (B=0.015, p=.139).

Conclusion: Findings suggest better sleep health measured across multiple domains is associated with higher cognitive function. Future studies may want to examine potential mechanisms by which better sleep health relates to better cognitive function over time, such as reduction in stress or inflammation.