Associations of sleep timing and time in bed with dementia and cognitive decline among Chinese older adults: A cohort study

• Published in: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) Vol. 70; no. 11; pp. 3138 - 3151
• Main Authors: Liu, Rui, Ren, Yifei, Hou, Tingting, Liang, Xiaoyan, Dong, Yi, Wang, Yongxiang, Cong, Lin, Wang, Xiang, Qin, Yu, Ren, Juan, Sindi, Shireen, Tang, Shi, Du, Yifeng, Qiu, Chengxuan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, USA John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.11.2022; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Alzheimer disease; Alzheimer's disease; Cognitive ability; cognitive function; Cohort analysis; Dementia; Dementia disorders; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Neurodegenerative diseases; Older people; Population studies; population-based cohort study; Population-based studies; Sleep
• ISSN: 0002-8614; 1532-5415; 1532-5415
• DOI: 10.1111/jgs.18042

Background The longitudinal associations of sleep timing and time in bed (TIB) with dementia and cognitive decline in older adults are unclear. Methods This population‐based cohort study used data from 1982 participants who were aged ≥60 years, free of dementia, and living in rural communities in western Shandong, China. At the baseline (2014) and follow‐up (2018) examinations, sleep parameters were assessed using standard questionnaires. Cognitive function was measured using the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE). Dementia was diagnosed following the DSM‐IV criteria, and the NIA‐AA criteria for Alzheimer disease (AD). Data were analyzed using restricted cubic splines, Cox proportional‐hazards models, and general linear models. Results During the mean follow‐up of 3.7 years, dementia was diagnosed in 97 participants (68 with AD). Restricted cubic spline curves showed J‐shaped associations of sleep duration, TIB, and rise time with dementia risk, and a reverse J‐shaped association with mid‐sleep time. When sleep parameters were categorized into tertiles, the multivariable‐adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of incident dementia was 1.69 (95%CI 1.01–2.83) for baseline sleep duration >8 hours (vs. 7–8 h), 2.17 (1.22–3.87) for bedtime before 9 p.m. (vs. 10 p.m. or later), and 2.00 (1.23–3.24) for mid‐sleep time before 1 a.m. (vs. 1–1.5 a.m.). Early bedtime and mid‐sleep time were significantly associated with incident AD (HR range: 2.25–2.51; p < 0.05). Among individuals who were free of dementia at follow‐up, baseline long TIB, early bedtime and mid‐sleep time, early and late rise time, and prolonged TIB and advanced bedtime and mid‐sleep time from baseline to follow‐up were associated with a greater decline in MMSE score (p < 0.05). These associations with cognitive decline were statistically evident mainly among men or participants who were aged 60–74 years. Conclusions Long TIB and early sleep timing are associated with an increased risk of dementia, and the associations with greater cognitive decline are evident only among older people aged 60–74 years and men.