Large-scale, global studies providing representative characterisation of sleep and its relation to cognitive performance are rare. In a recent study using a video game to assess spatial navigation, Coutrot and colleagues found that, among participants aged 54-70 years, optimal wayfinding performance was associated with a self-reported sleep duration of 7 h. The results also showed that, while the effects of age and gender on sleep duration were consistent across countries, geography and/or culture significantly modulated sleep duration, a finding that merits further study.