Sleeping well and for an optimal amount of hours is important for your health to remain optimal. After seeing how little sleep can make us fat, let’s see the latest research from experts on how many hours of sleep are ideal for middle-aged and elderly people.
According to a recent analysis conducted by scientists from the University of Cambridge and Fudan University in China, published in Nature Aging, seven hours of sleep is the ideal amount for adults between the ages of 38 and 73. The data collected comes from as many as 500,000 adults present in the UK Biobank who were asked for information relating to their sleep, well-being and mental health, and there were also some important cognitive tests.
By analyzing all of this data, the team found that both insufficient and excessive sleep duration were associated with impaired cognitive performance, while seven hours of sleep a night was the optimal amount of sleep to be more alert and improve their problem-solving skills. Additionally, people who slept about seven hours a night experienced fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression.
According to experts, a possible reason for the association between insufficient sleep and cognitive decline could be due tointerruption of deep sleepas its interruption would hinder the brain’s ability to “recharge” during the night.
The professor Jianfeng Feng della Fudan University ha dichiarato: “While we cannot conclusively state that too little or too much sleep causes cognitive problems, our analysis that examines individuals over a longer period of time seems to support this idea. But the reasons why older people sleep more scarce appear to be complex, influenced by a combination of our genetic makeup and the structure of our brain. “
The researchers therefore conclude that the findings suggest that insufficient or excessive sleep duration may be a risk factor for cognitive decline in aging. This is supported by previous studies that have reported a link between sleep duration and the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, in which cognitive decline is a characteristic symptom.
In this regard, we have previously tried to understand why sleeping becomes difficult with aging.