0493 Use of Sleep Aid Medication is Associated with Memory Deficits: A Population-Based Study

Abstract

Introduction: Use of medications to treat sleep complaints is a common practice that may incur in cognitive deficits. Evidence, beyond the welldescribed effects of benzodiazepines on cognition, still needs expansion. This study assessed the use of sleep aid medications of different classes and associated factors on prospective and retrospective memory in a representative populational sample from São Paulo. Methods: Volunteers in the EPISONO study underwent evaluation through questionnaires and a complete polysomnography exam. A subsample of 500 volunteers (Mean Age=42.9 years; 307 women) was included. Users (N=250) and non‐users (N=250; randomly selected among the non‐using volunteers) of sleep medication were evaluated regarding scores in 8 subscales and the overall score of the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ). Afterwards, users of classes of medications were compared. Covariates, including scores in psychiatric evaluation scales and polysomnographic findings, were added in both segments to identify the factors with highest interference in the results obtained. Results: Medication users consistently performed worse in prospective memory and short‐term internal‐cued retrospective memory even when covariates were added. Scores in Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventories, Insomnia Severity Index and variables related to wakefulness and sleep architecture were the covariates with the highest interference in the results. When comparing types of medication, few differences were seen, suggesting that for such analysis, a sample with higher power would be appropriate. Conclusion: Users of sleep medication presented impairment in prospective memory. Factors such as sleep architecture and continuity, as well as insomnia, anxiety and depression symptoms must be considered when evaluating cognitive deficits and pharmacological treatment in patients with sleep complaints, as they may participate in this relationship. Future studies are necessary to characterize the impact of different medication classes on prospective and retrospective memory.