Disrupted Sleep in Midlife Linked to Later Cognitive Decline, Study Shows

Those with the most fragmented sleep in their 30s and 40s were over twice as likely to perform poorly on cognitive tests a decade later.

Disrupted sleep in your 30s and 40s can lead to cognitive problems in later life, according to a new study.
The study tracked the sleep quality of hundreds of people in their 30s and 40s and analyzed their cognitive ability more than a decade later.
Those with the most disrupted sleep were more than twice as likely to score worse than average on cognitive tests compared to those with the least disrupted sleep.
Sleep plays a role in clearing Alzheimer's-linked proteins from the brain, and poor sleep contributes to inflammation and metabolic dysfunction, which are also linked to cognitive decline or dementia.
Researchers are investigating whether treating sleep problems can effectively slow down cognitive decline.