Scientists have told how much you need to sleep in old age

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Seven hours is the ideal amount of sleep for middle-aged and older people, not getting enough sleep is associated with poorer cognitive function and mental health, say researchers from the University of Cambridge and Fudan University.

Sleep plays an important role in maintaining cognitive function and maintaining good psychological well-being. health. It helps keep the brain healthy by removing waste products.

Researchers say one possible reason for the link between insufficient sleep and cognitive decline may be disruption of slow-wave — “deep” — sleep. It has been shown that disruption of this type of sleep is closely related to memory consolidation, as well as to the accumulation of amyloid, a key protein that, when misaligned, can cause brain “confusion” that is characteristic of some forms of dementia. Lack of sleep can interfere with the brain's ability to rid itself of toxins.

Getting a consistent seven hours of sleep each night without much variation in duration was also important for cognitive function, good mental health and well-being. Previous studies have also shown that interrupted sleep patterns are associated with increased inflammation, which indicates the susceptibility of the elderly to age-related diseases.

Professor Jianfeng Feng of Fudan University in China said:

“While we can't say with certainty that too little or too much sleep causes cognitive problems, our analysis, in which we studied people over a longer period of time, seems to support this idea. But the reasons why people have poor sleep appear to be a complex problem, influenced by a combination of our genetic makeup and the structure of our brains.”