Perchance to dream: How cognitive training affects sleep quality
The results of an eight-week, home-based program published in the National Library of Medicine showed particularly impressive results, including helping people fall asleep faster and improving overall sleep quality. The relatively brief training program focused on various cognitive domains, including working memory, visual memory, and attention. Not only did participants' sleep improve, but their cognitive function got a boost too, showing a strong link between improved brain function and better sleep quality1.
The way in which cognitive training promotes better sleep is multifaceted and rather striking. According to another review, this one in the journal Sleep, cognitive training can improve working memory and attention, which are closely linked to sleep regulation². Improved cognitive function can lead to better sleep patterns, as the brain becomes more efficient at managing the processes that govern sleep.
Cognitive training appears to have specific effects on various aspects of sleep. For instance, improvements in visual scanning ability were associated with earlier sleep onset, while enhanced naming skills correlated with reductions in wake time after sleep onset and fewer awakenings during the night1†. These findings suggest that targeting specific cognitive functions may have differential impacts on various sleep parameters, allowing for more tailored interventions.
Undertaking challenging cognitive tasks can enhance neuroplasticity, which also helps the brain better regulate sleep. Neuroplasticity can make the brain more efficient at managing sleep processes, in turn leading to better sleep patterns. This bidirectional relationship between sleep and cognition suggests that cognitive training can be an effective non-pharmacological intervention for enhancing sleep quality.
What is more, cognitive training can change sleep architecture, such as increasing slow-wave sleep, which leads to less fragmented and more restful sleep. Additional research findings indicate that following learning experiences, older adults exhibit an increase in slow-wave sleep (SWS) duration and percentage3. These changes in sleep architecture contribute to less fragmented sleep and improved sleep maintenance, ultimately enhancing overall sleep efficiency.
In its entirety, this phenomenon creates a positive feedback loop: better sleep improves cognitive function, which in turn further enhances sleep quality. The journal Frontiers in Psychology supports this overarching notion, showing that cognitive training can lead to sustained improvements in both sleep and cognitive performance⁴.
And finally, the benefits of cognitive training extend beyond improvements in sleep quality. A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that a combination of low-intensity exercise and cognitive activity was associated with better self-reported sleep quality in inactive older adults5. This highlights the potential symbiotic effects of combining cognitive training with other lifestyle interventions to maximize sleep improvements.
The result? Brain training fits squarely into a holistic approach to mind-body wellness.
1 Cognitive Training Improves Sleep Quality and Cognitive Function among Older Adults with Insomnia
3 Learning-dependent changes in sleep spindles and Stage 2 sleep
†Naming, as it relates to declarative memory, refers to the ability to retrieve and produce names or labels for objects, people, or concepts. It is a cognitive function that relies on semantic memory, which is a component of declarative (explicit) memory.