Poor sleep quality associated with cognitive impairment among Lhasa residents

A cross-sectional study published in BMC Public Health examined sleep quality and cognitive function among community residents in Chengguan District, Lhasa, a high-altitude setting. Researchers enrolled 3,742 eligible residents using cluster random sampling between March and June 2022. Assessments included demographic and health information, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Chinese Mini-Mental Status (CMMS).

The mean PSQI score was 4.35 ± 2.84, and the mean CMMS score was 27.20 ± 3.73. Cognitive impairment was detected in 9.04% of participants. Mean CMMS scores were 27.97 ± 2.54 in the cognitively normal group and 19.46 ± 4.85 in the cognitive impairment group. After adjustment for confounding factors, poor sleep quality was associated with higher odds of cognitive impairment than good sleep quality (OR 1.838, 95% CI 1.281–2.639).

The findings support attention to sleep quality when assessing cognitive concerns in this community. However, the cross-sectional design cannot establish whether poor sleep preceded cognitive impairment or whether improving sleep would improve cognition. The supplied text does not specify the adjustment variables or assessment thresholds, and findings from one district may not generalize to other populations.