Sleep fragmentation

6 papers4 findings

C, W, M, H: cells, worms or flies, mice, humans. Dark: independent labs found the same change there. Light: one lab or one study. Outline: nothing yet.

Labs are independent when their papers share no last author and no institution.

Against: findings that point the other way from most findings on the same outcome.

On aging: the drug’s trials ARN judged to be about aging, of every trial that tests it for any use.

No results posted: trials that ended more than a year ago with no results on ClinicalTrials.gov and no paper in ARN’s record.

Company ties: findings with an author at a company, or from a paper whose competing-interests statement declares ties to one.

4 independent labs in 2 countries

Funder: National Institute on Aging

Humans4

Outcomes

Memory

downin humans1

1 study

Sleep fragmentation impairs memory in humans (β = -0.010, 95% CI = -0.019 to -0.002).
“longer night time awakenings were associated with annual declines in memory (β = ‐0.010, 95% CI = ‐0.019 to ‐0.002)”
Humans9-yearn = 553
Multidimensional sleep health and longitudinal cognitive performance
AAIC 2025 abstract25 Dec 2025

Visual-spatial working memory

downin humans1

1 study

Sleep fragmentation impairs visual-spatial working memory in humans (r = –.386, p = .035).
“Higher levels of WASO were significantly associated with poorer VSWM performance (r = –.386, p = .035).”
Humansolder Black Americansn = 30
Broken Sleep, Broken Memory? Neurocognitive Consequences of Sleep fragmentation in Older Black Americans
AAIC 2025 abstract23 Dec 2025

Associations

Global cognitive function

downin humans1

1 study

Sleep fragmentation is associated with global cognitive function in humans (b = -0.02, 95% CI = -0.05 – -0.001, p < .05).
“increased sleep fragmentation was associated with worse global cognition. ( b = ‐0.02, 95% CI = ‐0.05 – ‐0.001, p < .05).”
Humansn = 1,171
The independent effects of sleep fragmentation and physical activity on global cognition in healthy older adults
AAIC 2025 abstract23 Dec 2025

Immediate memory

downin humans1

1 study

Sleep fragmentation is associated with immediate memory in humans (β = -.045, p = .0181).
“Sleep fragmentation was significantly associated with immediate memory (β = -.045, p =.0181).”
Humansn = 39
SLEEP AND CORTISOL IMPACT COGNITIVE OUTCOMES IN MIDLIFE HISPANIC/LATINE ADULTS AT RISK FOR ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
GSA 2024 abstract31 Dec 2024