Pbeauty

If you consistently sleep less or more than seven hours a night in middle and older age, this can negatively affect your mental health and intelligence, warn researchers from Cambridge (UK) and Fudan (PRC) universities, whose article was published in the journal Nature Aging.

The scientists analyzed data on about half a million people of European descent aged 38 to 73. All of them provided information about how much and how much they sleep, about their mental health and well-being, and also performed numerous cognitive tests. In addition, nearly 40,000 participants underwent brain scans and submitted their genetic data.

The analysis of the collected information showed that both lack and excess sleep are associated with cognitive impairments - a decrease in brain speed, a decrease in visual attention, a deterioration in memory and the ability to solve problems.