A new study recently published in the journal Psychiatry General found that a nap may improve cognitive performance in older people.
The study examined sleep patterns among 214.2 healthy people aged 60 and over who lived in several major cities in China, including Beijing and Shanghai. According to the results, adults who slept during the day showed significantly higher cognitive performance compared to those who did not sleep. Performance includes improvement in spatial orientation, speech fluency and memory.
Of the participants, 534.1 people reported a regular nap of between five minutes and two hours, while the remaining 680 people did not. In addition, study participants were asked how often they dozed during the week, and also participated in a dementia screening test.
The results revealed significant differences between the groups, with higher scores among the regular drowsiness group. While previous studies have failed to agree on whether nap may help fight dementia and cognitive decline in older people, the study found that long naps (over 30 minutes) and frequent (four times a week) are associated with poor cognitive function, while frequent and short naps from 30 minutes reduced the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by 84%. However, the researchers stressed that broader studies are needed.
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