Burning the midnight oil and compromising on sleep while you're young may not be a good idea if you want to have a razor sharp memory when you are older, a new study suggests.
According to researchers at Baylor University's Sleep Neuroscience and Cognition Laboratory, sleeping soundly when you are young may help preserve your cognitive abilities when you are old.
The researchers learned that, when people are young to middle-aged, sleeping well boosts the memory and learning process. However, once they are 70 years old, sleep no longer plays a role in preserving memory.
The study "Sleep, Cognition, and Normal Aging: Integrating a Half Century of Multidisciplinary Research" reveals that individuals who do not get sufficient shut-eye have higher chances of becoming absent-minded and may find mental tasks more difficult when compared to counterparts who enjoyed adequate sleep while young.
Michael K. Scullin, director of Baylor University's Sleep Neuroscience and Cognition Laboratory, analyzed nearly 50 years of sleep research from over 200 studies. These studies not only looked at the connection between brain function and sleep, but also addressed concerns over naps, intervention and sleep deprivation.
The researchers also categorized the subjects on the basis of age, with those 18 to 29 years old falling in the young category, those 30 to 60 years old in the middle-aged category, and those above 60 years in the oldest category.
"If sleep benefits memory and thinking in young adults but is changed in quantity and quality with age, then the question is whether improving sleep might delay -- or reverse -- age-related changes in memory and thinking. It's the difference between investing up front rather than trying to compensate later," said Scullin.
According to previous studies, if an individual slept well when middle-aged, then they would have better mental health 28 years down the line.
The study noted that one of the benefits of "deep sleep" or "slow-(brain)-wave-sleep" at night for the young is that it helps the individual's memory by taking chunks of the day's experiences and replaying them. In this way, their brains get strengthened for improved recollection.
The researchers also found that once we reach middle age, stealing sleep during the day, such as taking afternoon naps, can also play a role in improving one's memory and guarding it against deterioration. However, it is important to remember that an afternoon siesta does not compensate for sleep at night.
The study was published in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science. Donald Bliwise, professor of neurology at Emory University School of Medicine, was co-author of the study.
