New study finds sleep disruptions in 30s and 40s are linked to cognitive decline decades later

A new study suggests that people who experience more interrupted sleep in their 30s and 40s are more than twice as likely to have memory and thinking problems a decade later. The study tracked sleep quality for hundreds of people in the early 2000s and assessed their cognitive abilities more than a decade later. Those with more sleep fragmentation or greater movement during sleep were more likely to have poor cognitive scores. The study highlights the importance of understanding the connection between sleep and cognition earlier in life for identifying potential risk factors for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.