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Sleep as a Mediator of Physical Activity and Executive Function in Older Adults
Laffer, Alexandra
Laffer, Alexandra
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Abstract
To optimize maintenance of independence and quality of life in older adults, it is necessary to understand how cognitive processes may be preserved and maximized through health behaviors like physical activity and sleep. The current study investigated the relative influence of sleep quality and physical activity on executive function performance and whether sleep quality mediated the relationship between physical activity and executive function in a sample of community-dwelling older adults without cognitive impairment. Participants (N= 157; ages 60-89, M = 74.61) wore an accelerometer on their non-dominant wrist for 7 days in a free-living environment to capture total physical activity (TPA) and measures of sleep quality. The present study focused on two measures of sleep quality (average sleep efficiency and average wake after sleep onset – WASO). Using neuropsychological data collected near the time when participants wore the accelerometer, we created composite scores of executive function and working memory performance based on 9 individual tests. We used multiple mediation and regression models adjusting for relevant covariates. Neither TPA nor measures of sleep quality contributed to executive function performance. Only younger age and higher education significantly predicted higher executive function scores. Neither WASO nor sleep efficiency mediated the relationship between TPA and executive function performance in our sample. Results suggest that total physical activity and sleep quality may not lead to changes in executive function abilities in older adults with normal cognitive function and above average educational status. Therefore, interventions aimed at improving executive function in older adults may consider targeting other modifiable behavioral factors including different facets of physical activity and sleep, other health behaviors, or samples with different socioeconomic factors (e.g., individuals with lower educational attainment). Future studies are needed to further clarify the relationship between physical activity, sleep, and executive function performance in this population.
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2022-08-31
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University of Kansas
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actigraphy, cognition, executive function, older adults, physical activity, sleep quality