Experiencing insomnia in middle age can pose a higher risk of poorer cognitive function later in life, according to a study published in the Journal of Aging Health. The authors suggest that any insomnia symptoms should be treated as early as possible.
A team of researchers from the University of Helsinki, Finland, investigated how insomnia in middle life is related to memory, learning ability, and concentration after retirement. To achieve this, they follow participants in the study for over 15 years.
The main results of the study show that long-term insomnia is related to poorer cognitive abilities later in life. The team also found that memory problems, learning difficulties, and poor concentration increased as insomnia symptoms lasted longer. “The findings indicate that severe insomnia symptoms were associated with worse cognitive function among those who were on statutory pension,” says Doctoral Researcher Antti Etholén.
There are a number of mechanisms to explain how sleep can affect cognitive function, but this is the first time that the impact of insomnia is detected over 15 years later. The good news is that the researchers also found that if insomnia symptoms improved over time, then the cognitive function was also better at retirement age compared to patients with persistent sleep problems. There are many ways to enhance the quality of sleep, including following a good sleep pattern, having a relaxing routine before bedtime, and avoiding physical exercise, large meals caffeinated drinks.
The authors also suggest that treating insomnia symptoms could help patients in the future. However, more research is needed to find out how effective treatments can be. “Based on our findings, early intervention tackling insomnia symptoms or measures aimed at improving the quality of sleep would be justified,” said Professor Tea Lallukka. “In subsequent studies, it would be interesting to shed further light on, for example, whether the treatment of insomnia can also slow down the development of memory disorders.”
Etholén A, Pietiläinen O, Kouvonen A, Hänninen M, Rahkonen O, Lallukka T (2022) Trajectories of Insomnia Symptoms Among Aging Employees and Their Associations With Memory, Learning Ability, and Concentration After Retirement – A Prospective Cohort Study (2000-2017). J Aging Health. 28:8982643221078740.