Association of sleep quality and spatial and verbal memory in young adults

Abstract

Background: Sleep is the basic need and essential for survival. Although the exact reason for sleep is not clear till date, it plays a pivot role in regulating most of the body functions. Sleep quality has an impact on the cognitive functions such as learning and memory. Spatial and verbal memory is important components of cognition. Further, verbal memory is essential for the student population to perform well in their academics. Aims and Objectives: The present study was undertaken to observe the association of sleep quality and cognitive functions in young adults. Materials and Methods: Eighty-two young adults within the age group of 18–24 were part of the study after obtaining the written informed consent. Sleep quality was assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Spatial and verbal memory was assessed using spatial and verbal memory test. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to observe the association between the variables. Results: There was a weak positive correlation between the spatial memory and sleep quality (R is 0.1272 and R2 is 0.0162). There was a weak positive correlation between the verbal memory and sleep quality (R is 0.0866 and R2 is 0.0075). Conclusion: The study presents a positive correlation between the sleep quality with the spatial and verbal memory. The study recommends further detailed studies in this area to understand the association between the sleep quality and memory.