Sleep time… Even if it is too long or too short, cognitive ability decreases

A new study shows that the white matter microstructure in the brain area, which is related to working memory capacity, is affected by sleep time. In this study, it was found that sleeping too long or too short decreases cognitive ability.

Sleep is known to be largely involved in the cognitive abilities that a person can exert. In previous studies, it has been confirmed that the cognitive ability decreases in the sleep deprivation state. To find out the relationship between sleep and cognitive abilities, a research team at the University of Münster, Germany, used existing data sets to investigate the relationship between sleep time, sleep quality, cognitive abilities, and brain white matter integrity.

Based on data from the Human Connectome Project, a large-scale research project conducted by the National Institutes of Health that maps how elements of the nervous system are connected, data from brain scans of 1,065 healthy adults, as well as cognitive tests, sleep quality, and more. Received the results of a survey on sleep time. We investigated whether a relationship exists for these results.

Investigations found that too short sleep periods lowered brain white matter integrity, which emphasizes working memory and language processing, and cognitive abilities. Even if the sleep time was too long, a decrease in brain white matter integrity was not confirmed, but it was found that cognitive ability was decreasing. Also, there is no connection between sleep quality and cognitive abilities.

Regarding this result, the research team said that it does not indicate a causal relationship, such as changes in brain structure and function depending on sleep time, in a simple relationship. Previous studies have shown that sleep deprivation alters the brain’s chemical sex characteristics, thereby impairing the integrity of the white matter in the brain. He said he was guessing that he was letting him go. In order not to damage brain white matter integrity and not negatively affect cognitive abilities, the optimal sleep time varies from person to person, but people who sleep for an average of 7 to 8 hours can see that they exhibit high cognitive abilities. Related information can be found here.