In addition, sleeping less than six hours a night was linked with faster rate of cognitive decline over time. Sleep apnea linked to smaller brain volume, study findsĪnyone with a dementia diagnosis or with test scores that suggested cognitive decline were excluded from the study, which published Wednesday in The Lancet Healthy Longevity journal.īuilding upon evidence from prior research, the new study found people who had higher levels of physical activity and also slept between six and eight hours per night had better cognitive function as they aged.Ĭoncurrently, being less physically active and sleeping poorly were independently associated with worse cognitive performance over time. (add caption) no_limit_pictures/E+/Getty Images In addition to an initial workup, participants go through a follow-up interview and cognitive testing every two years. Researchers followed nearly 9,000 adults for over 10 years who were part of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, a longitudinal study on people older than age 50 funded by the UK government and the US National Institute on Aging.

“It shows how important it is to consider sleep and physical activity together when thinking about cognitive health,” she said in a statement. Mikaela Bloomberg, a research fellow at the Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care at University College London. “Our study suggests that getting sufficient sleep may be required for us to get the full cognitive benefits of physical activity,” said lead author Dr. In a new study, researchers discovered people with more frequent, higher-intensity physical activity who slept less than six hours a night on average had faster overall cognitive decline than short sleepers who exercised infrequently. However, the amount of sleep you get may be just as important - at least when it comes to the benefits of exercise and how well your brain functions as you age. 8 reasons why you wake up tired, and how to fix it

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