Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics · Dec 16, 2022

Longitudinal associations between daytime napping and cognitive function in Chinese older adults

By Zhang L, Chen C, Zhang H et al.

BACKGROUND: Little was known about the longitudinal associations between daytime napping and cognitive function in China. Thus, the study aimed to explore the cross-sectional and the longitudinal relationship between daytime napping and cognitive performance in the elderly Chinese population. METHODS: The data was from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Daytime napping was self-reported. Cognitive function was assessed via a structured questionnaire in two dimensions: episodic memory and mental status. Linear regression and mixed-effect model were applied to explore the association between daytime napping and cognitive function. RESULTS: A total of 2,875 and 2,440 participants aged over 65 years were included in the cross-sectional and the longitudinal studies, respectively. In the cross-sectional study, non-nappers and extended nappers had significantly lower global cognition scores (P<0.01), as well as significantly lower scores for episodic memory (P<0.05) and mental status (P<0.01), compared with moderate nappers. In the longitudinal analysis, no napping and extended napping were significantly associated with global cognitive decline (P<0.05) and only extended napping showed the significant association for the decline in episodic memory as well as mental status (P<0.01). LIMITATIONS: Daytime napping duration was self-reported by participants. CONCLUSION: The study found a longitudinal association between extended napping duration and worse cognitive function.

doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2022.104909PubMed 36577195Populations