For every hour that we reduce the duration of sleep, the more our overall cognitive performance gradually decreases . This is the conclusion of the latest study carried out by a team of researchers from Duke University (USA) and the National University of Singapore and which is collected by the journal Sleep .
For the study, the scientists recruited 66 healthy adults over the age of 55 who underwent a neuropsychological evaluation while using magnetic resonance imaging (to measure brain volume) to investigate associated brain changes. with aging. In addition, all participants were given a questionnaire to record the duration of sleep during the entire period of the experiment.
" Each hour of reduced sleep at the beginning of the study increased the annual expansion rate of the ventricles by 0.59% , and the annual rate of decrease in global cognitive performance by 0.67% in the following 2 years, after to control for the effects of age, sex, education and body mass index, "says Michael Chee, leader of the study. That is, those who had slept less had a reduction in their brain volume and a decrease in their cognitive performance , as a consequence of a faster aging of the nervous system.
According to the study's findings, for adults, sleeping 7 hours a day appears to be the perfect balance for optimal cognitive performance . Less, it already contributes to accelerating cognitive decline in a gradual but unstoppable way.
