Gut microbiota, sleep quality, and cognitive function in adults: A systematic review

IF 3.4 2区医学 Q1 CLINICAL NEUROLOGY

Sleep medicine Pub Date : 2026-05-01 Epub Date: 2026-02-09 DOI:10.1016/j.sleep.2026.108834

Hesam A. Varpaei , Lorraine B. Robbins , Mathew J. Reeves , Pallav Deka , Fabrice I. Mowbray , Stuart F. Quan

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Gut microbiota and sleep quality are reported to be important in physiological processes such as cognitive function. Yet, a systematic review examining the effect of both gut microbiota and sleep quality on cognitive function in adults is lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the association between both sleep quality (efficiency, total sleep time) and gut microbiota composition in relation to cognitive function in adults.

Methods

This systematic review followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We searched five online databases for original studies on human subjects that assessed cognitive function, sleep quality, and gut microbiota were eligible. The initial search resulted in 1646 titles/abstracts. Following the removal of duplicates and applying eligibility criteria, 21 studies (52% from China; 70.5% cross-sectional; 2,901patients) were included.

Results

Sleep quality was assessed both using subjective and objective measures. Cognitive function was mostly evaluated with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (38% of studies), while gut microbiota was predominantly analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing (62%). Interestingly, no study was found that assessed gut microbiota, sleep, and cognitive function in individuals with cardiovascular disease. Observational findings consistently link objective sleep measures (efficiency, total sleep time) to greater gut microbial diversity in healthy adults, which correlates positively with better cognitive function. This relationship is mediated by microbial diversity relating significantly to inter-network functional connectivity in the brain. Conversely, pathological findings revealed that chronic insomnia is defined by a distinct microbiota dysbiosis (decreased Firmicutes/Actinobacteria and increased Bacteroidetes). Interventional studies showed that probiotic supplementation modulated gut composition, reduced physiological stress markers, and enhanced sleep quality and cognitive function in patients with cognitive impairment.

Conclusion

This systematic review confirms a complex and reciprocal relationship between sleep quality, gut microbial composition, and cognitive function in adults; therefore, optimal sleep and cognition are linked to greater gut microbial diversity. Higher microbial diversity correlates with superior objective sleep metrics and better cognitive function, mediated by enhanced inter-network functional connectivity in the brain. No studies assessed this triad (sleep, microbiota, and cognitive function) in individuals with cardiovascular diseases, marking a significant research gap.

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成人肠道微生物群、睡眠质量和认知功能：一项系统综述。

背景：据报道，肠道微生物群和睡眠质量在认知功能等生理过程中起着重要作用。然而，关于肠道微生物群和睡眠质量对成人认知功能影响的系统综述尚缺乏。因此，本研究旨在研究成人睡眠质量（效率、总睡眠时间）和肠道微生物群组成与认知功能之间的关系。方法：本系统评价遵循系统评价和荟萃分析指南的首选报告项目。我们在5个在线数据库中搜索了评估认知功能、睡眠质量和肠道微生物群的人类受试者的原始研究。最初的搜索结果是1646个标题/摘要。在删除重复项并应用资格标准后，纳入了21项研究（52%来自中国，70.5%来自横断面，2901例患者）。结果：采用主观和客观两种方法对睡眠质量进行评价。认知功能主要通过蒙特利尔认知评估（38%的研究）进行评估，而肠道微生物群主要使用16S rRNA测序（62%）进行分析。有趣的是，没有研究发现评估心血管疾病患者的肠道微生物群、睡眠和认知功能。观察性发现一致将客观睡眠测量（效率、总睡眠时间）与健康成年人更大的肠道微生物多样性联系起来，这与更好的认知功能呈正相关。这种关系是由微生物多样性介导的，与大脑中网络间功能连接密切相关。相反，病理结果显示慢性失眠是由明显的微生物群失调（厚壁菌门/放线菌门减少，拟杆菌门增加）所定义的。介入性研究表明，补充益生菌可以调节认知障碍患者的肠道成分，降低生理应激标志物，提高睡眠质量和认知功能。结论：本系统综述证实成人睡眠质量、肠道微生物组成和认知功能之间存在复杂的相互关系；因此，最佳睡眠和认知与更大的肠道微生物多样性有关。更高的微生物多样性与更好的客观睡眠指标和更好的认知功能相关，这是由大脑中增强的网络功能连接介导的。没有研究评估心血管疾病患者的这三方面（睡眠、微生物群和认知功能），这标志着重大的研究空白。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Sleep medicine 医学-临床神经学

CiteScore

8.40

自引率

6.20%

发文量

1060

审稿时长

49 days

期刊介绍： Sleep Medicine aims to be a journal no one involved in clinical sleep medicine can do without. A journal primarily focussing on the human aspects of sleep, integrating the various disciplines that are involved in sleep medicine: neurology, clinical neurophysiology, internal medicine (particularly pulmonology and cardiology), psychology, psychiatry, sleep technology, pediatrics, neurosurgery, otorhinolaryngology, and dentistry. The journal publishes the following types of articles: Reviews (also intended as a way to bridge the gap between basic sleep research and clinical relevance); Original Research Articles; Full-length articles; Brief communications; Controversies; Case reports; Letters to the Editor; Journal search and commentaries; Book reviews; Meeting announcements; Listing of relevant organisations plus web sites.