Determinants of Sleep Quality and Its Association with Cognitive and Emotional Functioning: A Cross-Sectional Study Across Gender and Age

Sleep is often regarded as a passive state of rest, yet this long-standing misconception overlooks its broader purposes and the intricate ways in which different aspects of sleep influence executive functions. This study aspires to dispel such misunderstandings by emphasizing the importance of acknowledging counterintuitive findings to improve sleep quality and social functioning. A cross-sectional study of 371 participants collected data on multiple sleep indicators, including duration, difficulty initiating sleep, nighttime awakenings, and medication use, alongside measures of attention, memory, executive functioning, emotion, and behavior. Findings revealed that poor sleep quality was consistently linked to worse next-day functioning, but in surprising ways: duration showed weak associations, while initiation problems, nighttime awakenings, and reliance on medication emerged as the strongest contributors to this relationship. Age also moderated these effects: younger participants experienced the most pronounced deficits, suggesting that poor sleep may be particularly damaging early in life, whereas older age groups displayed greater resilience. By emphasizing quality over quantity and uncovering age-specific vulnerabilities, this study reframes common assumptions about sleep. The results underscore that safeguarding cognitive and emotional health requires greater attention to sleep quality, particularly among youth. B These findings carry vital implications for individual cognitive health, productivity, and societal well-being.