Find out the ideal hours of sleep
Most people know from experience that going to work the next day after staying out late at night is usually difficult.
But it may come as a surprise to hear that sleeping longer isn't necessarily the best solution, at least for middle-aged or older people, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Aging.
Researchers from "Cambridge University" in Britain and "Fuhan University" in Shanghai found that sleeping for seven hours during the night is ideal for middle-aged or older people, and concluded that sleeping for significantly less periods Also, getting much more sleep may result in delayed mental health and mental performance.
The researchers conducted their study using data from nearly 500,000 adults between the ages of 38 and 73, collected in the UK's comprehensive medical database, Biobank.
Participants were asked about their sleep patterns, mental health and general condition, and also took part in a series of cognitive tests.
The researchers gained access to brain MRI images and genetic data from nearly 40,000 people who participated in the study.
The researchers found that both sleeping too much and getting too little sleep were associated with lower cognitive performance.
The researchers believe that disruption of slow-wave sleep, which is part of deep sleep, may be a possible cause of cognitive decline.
This disorder is accompanied by an accumulation of beta-amyloid particles.
These deposits of the protein, which are present in large clumps within the brains of Alzheimer's patients, are suspected of contributing to the death of neurons.
Analysis of brain scans also revealed a link between different sleep periods and differences in the structure of brain regions involved in cognitive processing and memory.
Among them was the hippocampus, also known as the hippocampus, which is the brain's memory center.
Overall, the researchers found, getting seven hours of sleep straight seems ideal for improving cognitive performance, general well-being, and mental health in middle-aged and older people.
While the study doesn't talk about causation, the findings suggest that inadequate or excessive sleep may be a risk factor for cognitive decline in old age, the researchers said.
Professor Jianfeng Feng from Fudan University in China said in a press release: "While we cannot definitively say that getting too little or too much sleep causes cognitive problems, our analysis of people over the course of a period of time appears to A longer period of time supports this idea...However, the reasons why older adults sleep a few hours appears complex and is influenced by a combination of our genetic makeup and the structure of our brains."
Study co-author Barbara Sahakian, from the University of Cambridge, adds: "Getting a good night's sleep is important throughout life, but especially as we age.
Finding ways to improve sleep in older people can be important in order to help them maintain good mental health and wellness and avoid cognitive decline, especially for patients with mental disorders and dementia."
The German Society for Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine says that the elderly, in particular, often report that they have difficulties sleeping during the night periods, in addition to the decrease in the total number of hours of sleep they get, and their access to more naps during the day and their increased use of sleeping pills.
However, there are increasingly difficulties with sleeping in different age groups and all over the world.