Physical activity and exercise can improve cognitive function and reduce the risk for dementia. Other lifestyle factors, including sleep, are associated with cognitive function and dementia risk, and exercise is an effective therapeutic strategy for improving sleep. Based on these associations, it has been hypothesised that sleep might be an important mediator for the effects of exercise on cognition. Here, we review the current literature to evaluate whether sleep and physical activity are independently or jointly associated with cognitive function. The extant literature in this area is minimal, and the causal relationships between physical activity, sleep and cognition have not been examined. A small number of cross-sectional studies in this area suggest that physical activity may attenuate some of the negative impact that poor sleep has on cognition, and also that sleep may be a mechanism through which physical activity improves cognitive abilities. Further research may enable the development of individually tailored intervention programs to result in the greatest cognitive benefit, ultimately delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

身体活动和锻炼可以改善认知功能并降低患痴呆症的风险。包括睡眠在内的其他生活方式因素与认知功能和痴呆风险有关，而运动是改善睡眠的有效治疗策略。基于这些关联，有人假设睡眠可能是运动对认知影响的重要中介。在这里，我们回顾了当前的文献，以评估睡眠和身体活动是否与认知功能独立或共同相关。该领域现存的文献很少，也没有研究过身体活动、睡眠和认知之间的因果关系。该领域的少数横断面研究表明，体育锻炼可能会减轻睡眠不足对认知的一些负面影响，而且睡眠可能是体育锻炼提高认知能力的一种机制。进一步的研究可能有助于开发个性化的干预计划，从而获得最大的认知益处，最终延缓阿尔茨海默病的发作。