Sleep and its relation to cognitive performance, depression symptoms and anxiety in older adults within a pandemic framework

Background: COVID-19 has generated impacts mainly on the psychological health of older adults´ population. Depression symptoms and high anxiety levels may negatively influence sleep quality and thus the cognitive performance of those who suffer from them. There needs to be studies which document such relations during the pandemic. Objective: Investigate the influence of sleep on cognition, depression symptoms, and anxiety. Methods: Cross-sectional study applying the following scales: Brazilian telephone version of the Mini Mental State Examination (Braztel-MMSE), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI). An additional questionnaire with 6 subjective questions concerning the presence or absence of sleep issues was also employed. Results: 428 older adults aged between 60 and 90 and with an average of 67.54 ± 5.65 years were evaluated. When Sleep Scores and other variables of scales were correlated the following results were obtained: Sleep Score and Braztel-MMSE (rho=-0.08 e p=0.108); Sleep Score and GDS15 (rho=0.46 e p <0,001); and Sleep Score and GAI (rho=0.41 e p<0.001). Conclusion: Results emphasize that sleep has not shown relation to cognitive performance, mainly in this sample with individuals of high education levels. However, sleep has been strongly associated with variables concerning depression symptoms and anxiety levels, showing its importance for the psychological levels of individuals in the current pandemic framework.