Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) represents a pivotal stage in the trajectory toward dementia. Approximately 15% of individuals with MCI advance to dementia within two years, roughly one-third within five years, while half remain in the MCI stage after ten years. Little is known about the factors driving this high variation. The goal of this study was to investigate and impact of common subjective sleep complaints (i.e., trouble falling asleep, waking up during the night, waking up too early, or not feeling rested) on the progression from MCI to dementia among older adults with MCI. This is a longitudinal analysis using data from biannually national representative survey from U.S.: Health Retirement Survey (HRS) 2006-2022. Survival analysis including Kaplan Meyer Plots and Cox Proportional Model were used to examine the association of existence of sleep complains with the risk and speed of progression from MCI to dementia. The existence of any sleep complaint during pre-clinical period prior to MCI is associated with increased risk of progressing from MCI to dementia, HR=1.09; 95% CI (1.065-1.121). During the MCI phase, sleep complaints are associated with increasing dementia risks ((HR=1.16; 95% CI (1.03-1.20)). Sleep can be a promising indicator for early identification of individuals with MCI who may be at risk for a fast progression to dementia, and to inform effective strategies to delay its progression at the primary care level. More investigations are needed to elaborate the relationship between sleep and cognitive decline.

Authors:
Lichuan Ye, Northeastern University, United States
Ning Zhang, Northeastern University, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Lichuan Ye, Ph.D., RN, is a Professor at Northeastern University Bouvé College of Health Sciences School of Nursing.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Wednesday Schedule

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