Longitudinal Association of Sleep Quality and Duration With Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome in Chinese Older Adults

TL;DR

Poor sleep quality and short sleep duration are linked to a higher risk of developing a syndrome that combines slow movement and cognitive issues in older Chinese adults.

Contribution

This study provides longitudinal evidence linking sleep characteristics to the development of Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome in older adults.

Findings

Frequent poor sleep is associated with a 30% higher risk of developing MCR.

Short sleep duration (<6 hours/night) increases MCR risk by 33%.

Combining frequent poor sleep and short sleep duration raises MCR risk by 49%.

Abstract

Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome (MCR), defined by the co-occurrence of subjective cognitive complaints and slow gait, is an established risk factor for dementia and other adverse health outcomes in older adults. While sleep characteristics have been cross-sectionally linked to MCR, their longitudinal impact remains unclear. This study examines the association between sleep characteristics and MCR risk using data from 4,359 participants (median age: 66; 50% female) without MCR at baseline from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), spanning baseline (2011), Wave 2 (2013), and Wave 3 (2015). Self-reported poor sleep was categorized as rarely (≤2 days/week), occasionally (3–4 days/week), and frequently (5–7 days/week); nighttime sleep duration was classified as < 6 hours/night, 6–8 hours/night, and >8 hours/night. Using Cox proportional hazard models, we found that frequent poor sleepers had higher odds of developing MCR compared to those with rare poor sleep (HR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.00–1.69). Short sleep duration (<6 h/night) was also associated with increased MCR risk compared to 6–8 h/night (HR = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.06–1.66). Participants experiencing both frequent poor sleep and short sleep duration had the highest risk of developing MCR (HR = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.10–2.03) compared to those who rarely experience poor sleep and with 6–8 h/night sleep. These findings highlight the importance of both self-perceived sleep quality and sleep duration in MCR risk and suggest that addressing both aspects through targeted sleep interventions may help prevent mobility and cognitive decline in aging populations.