That’s the finding of new research out of Baylor University that found sleep helps memory and learning throughout a lifetime and may have lasting benefits as individuals hit their seventh, eighth, and ninth decades of life.
 

That raises an "alluring question" — whether improving sleep early in life might delay, or even reverse, age-related changes in memory and thinking tied to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, said Michael K. Scullin, director of Baylor University's Sleep Neuroscience and Cognition Laboratory.

To reach his conclusions, Scullin examined 50 years of sleep research for an article published in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science.
 

"It's the difference between investing up front rather than trying to compensate later," said Scullin, assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience in Baylor's College of Arts & Sciences. "We came across studies that showed that sleeping well in middle age predicted better mental functioning 28 years later."
 

The article — "Sleep, Cognition, and Normal Aging: Integrating a Half Century of Multidisciplinary Research" — notes that the benefits of a good night's sleep for young adults are diverse and unmistakable. A particular kind of "deep sleep" called "slow-(brain)-wave-sleep" helps memory by taking pieces of a day's experiences, replaying them, and strengthening them for better recollection.
 

In middle age, more sleep during the day — such as an afternoon nap — can also help boost memory and protect against its decline, as long as it doesn’t cut into nighttime sleep.
 

But as we age, we tend to wake up more at night and have less deep sleep and dream sleep — both of which are important for overall brain functioning, Scullin said.
 

"People sometimes disparage sleep as 'lost' time," he said. But even if the link between sleep and memory lessens with age, "sleeping well still is linked to better mental health, improved cardiovascular health and fewer, less severe disorders and diseases of many kinds."