Moderate-to-regular daily sleep patterns are associated with enhanced cognitive function: Study

In this study, researchers evaluated the sleep regularity of 458 participants aged 45-89 years who subjectively reported cognitive and/or sleep issues. Each participant wore a three-axis accelerometer on the nondominant hand continuously for 24 h for 7 days. In addition to undergoing a standardized cognitive assessment battery, blood samples were collected from the participants to measure the levels of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein essential for synaptic plasticity and overall cognitive health.

The results demonstrated a clear linear relationship between sleep regularity and global cognitive performance. However, serum BDNF levels showed an inverse U-shaped relationship-peaking in participants with moderate sleep regularity and declining at both ends-among those with either highly irregular or excessively rigid.

These findings suggest that maintaining moderate-to-regular daily sleep patterns supports cognitive health, whereas rigid daily sleep patterns could potentially reduce an individual's adaptability to daily changes in real-world situations. Therefore, this study emphasizes the importance of balance in lifestyle schedules and its value in future strategies to prevent Alzheimer's disease, as well as dementia.

Reference:

Yue Cao, Jaehee Lee, Jaehoon Seol, Kyohei Shibuya, Jieun Yoon, Tetsuaki Arai, Masashi Yanagisawa, Tomohiro Okura, Sleep regularity is associated with cognitive function and shows an inverted U-shaped relationship with serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor, Sleep Medicine, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2025.106688.