# Geospatial analysis of short sleep duration and cognitive disability in US adults: a multi-state study using machine learning techniques

## TL;DR

This study finds that short sleep is linked to higher cognitive disability risk in US adults, especially in Western states, after adjusting for health and social factors.

## Contribution

A novel spatial analysis using machine learning reveals geographic patterns linking short sleep and cognitive disability in the US.

## Key findings

- Short sleep duration is significantly associated with increased cognitive disability risk across the US.
- Six Western states show a stronger link between short sleep and cognitive disability.
- Adjusting for health and social factors confirms the robustness of the association.

## Abstract

There is evidence of increased risk of cognitive disability due to short sleep duration and adverse Social Determinants of Health (SDoH). To determine whether spatial associations (correlation between spatially distributed variables within a given geographic area) exist between neighborhoods with short sleep duration and cognitive disability across the United States (US) after adjusting for other factors. We conducted a spatial analysis using a spatial lag model at the neighborhood-level with the census tract as unit-of-analysis within each state in the US. We aggregated our results nationally using a weighted analysis to adjust for the number of census tracts per state. This study used Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data on short sleep duration, cognitive disability and other health factors. We used 2021–2022 neighborhood-level data from the CDC and US Census Bureau adjusting for social determinants of health (SDoH) and demographics, excluding Florida due to inconsistencies in data availability. Our exposure variable was self-reported short sleep defined by the CDC (“sleep less than 7 hours per 24 hour period”). Our outcome was self-reported cognitive disability defined by the CDC (“difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decision”). We adjusted for other factors including ‘health outcomes’, ‘preventive practices’, and the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index.

The spatial analysis revealed a significant association between short sleep duration and an increased risk of cognitive disability across the US (estimate range [0.29; 1.27], p < 0.005) after adjustment. Notably, six Western states (New Mexico, Alaska, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, and Oregon) were at increased risk of cognitive disability due to short sleep duration and this pattern was significant (p = 0.007).

Our study highlights the importance of short sleep duration as a significant predictor of cognitive disability across the US after adjusting for other confounders. The association between short sleep and cognitive disability was especially strong in the Western region of the US providing a deeper understanding of how geographic context and local factors can shape health outcomes.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13040-025-00456-7.