Current and Emerging Sleep Interventions for Older Adults with or without Mild Cognitive Impairment

This systematic scoping review examines evidence from the last five years on sleep interventions in cognitive healthy older adults and those with mild cognitive impairment.

Sleep disturbance has been identified as a potential early, modifiable risk factor for dementia, making it crucial to investigate if these interventions also enhance cognitive function and neurodegenerative biomarkers.

Since 2019, research on sleep interventions in older adults with or without cognitive impairment has gradually expanded, especially on non-pharmacological treatments including CBT-I, exercise, and multi-modal interventions, which show promise but require further study to confirm cognitive benefits. Pharmacological interventions have primarily focused on melatonin and orexin antagonists, with long-term safety remaining a concern. Tailored, clinically effective interventions that consider the presence of Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers, such as amyloid, tau, cerebrovascular disease, or alpha-synuclein in key sleep-related circuits, are essential to developing feasible, cost-effective, and scalable treatments for older adults with or without cognitive impairment.