Good night’s sleep may not improve older adults’ memory
Posted Nov 21, 2011 8:52 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A new study has found that a good night’s sleep doesn’t seem to improve older adults’ memory.
The research suggests age-related brain changes, not age-related sleep problems, are responsible for some of the memory problems that can occur in older adults.
The study included 25 younger and 24 older adults who learned how to navigate through a series of 10 “virtual rooms” on a computer screen.
Younger adults who had a good night’s sleep made fewer mistakes than those who remained awake for 12 hours, but older adults who slept did no better than those who stayed awake.
The study was presented last week at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, in Washington, D-C.
