The Role of Heart Failure, Daytime Sleepiness, and Disturbed Sleep on Cognition.
Chooza Moon, Ju Young Yoon, Lisa C Bratzke
PMID 27784834WHAT IT FOUND
In older adults, heart failure was linked to more daytime sleepiness, and daytime sleepiness was associated with lower attention, memory and executive function.
Disturbed sleep was not. The study cannot show cause.
Key findings
01Heart failure was indirectly associated with lower attention, memory and executive function through daytime sleepiness.
02Disturbed sleep was not associated with cognitive scores and did not mediate the heart failure and cognition relationships.
03The statistical model used to test mediation fit the data poorly.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that heart failure, sleepiness or disturbed sleep caused cognitive changes. Heart failure, disturbed sleep and daytime sleepiness were based on self-report, not objective testing. The sample excluded people who self-identified as having sleep apnea, but sleep symptoms were not objectively screened. The statistical model used to test mediation fit the data poorly. Information was limited on heart failure severity, symptoms, medications and hypotension. The data came from an older survey, so current care and medications may differ.
Declared interests
The underlying survey data were funded by the National Institute of Aging. The supplied text does not report author conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the mediation findings as proof that daytime sleepiness causes cognitive impairment in heart failure. The study was cross-sectional, used self-reported symptoms, and the model fit poorly.