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

Daily sleep and activity are fundamental to both physical and mental health. Although previous studies have largely emphasized quantitative aspects such as sleep duration and physical activity time, there is increasing focus on how daily sleep varies among days. Less variable and consistent daily sleep patterns have been associated with decreased cardiovascular risk, lower mortality rates, and protective effects against incident dementia. Nevertheless, whether such associations of daily sleep patterns vary in individuals in the preclinical stage of Alzheimer's disease or those experiencing subjective cognitive decline remains poorly understood.

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.