Associations between sleep duration, physical activity, and cognitive impairment in older adults—empirical analysis based on CHARLS data

The results of this study support the hypothesis that sleep duration and physical activity levels may collaboratively enhance cognitive health through various physiological mechanisms. Furthermore, the findings suggest that a combination of sleep and physical activity interventions could be effective in preventing cognitive decline in the older adults population. However, due to the inherent limitations of the cross-sectional design, the findings reflect only statistical associations rather than causal relationships between the variables. Future studies should employ prospective designs and objective measures to investigate the causal relationships and underlying mechanisms in greater depth.