Sleep, balance and cognition are linked weakly in older adults
The review found modest connections between pairs of functions, while evidence examining how they interact together was scarce.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Sleep quality was associated with balance and cognition, and confidence in balance was linked with cognition. The relationships were generally weak, and some may have limited practical importance. This evidence map does not establish that improving sleep would improve balance or thinking, or that a single intervention would meaningfully improve all these functions.
Most included studies were observational. The abstract gives limited detail about measurement tools, follow-up periods and the clinical meaning of individual associations, making it hard to translate the findings into everyday functional outcomes.
What the review mapped
Researchers selected studies that assessed sleep, physical balance and cognition in older adults. The evidence included experiments and observational research, but the abstract presents a map of relationships rather than a pooled test of a specific treatment.
A gap in the combined picture
Only 1 included study examined interactions among all these domains together. That leaves substantial uncertainty about how sleep, balance and cognition influence each other over time, even though associations between pairs were reported.
The original publication
Mapping the relationships among sleep, motor balance, and cognition in older adults: a systematic scoping review.
Shin YC, Shah S, Sejpal HM et al.
Front Hum Neurosci · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40958991
- Record checked
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