Light sleepers between the ages of 50 and 70 have about a 30% higher risk of dementia.
- These results were obtained regardless of their possible cardiovascular, metabolic or mental health problems, which are known risk factors for dementia.
- These results confirm the link between sleep and cognitive health.
Sleep well to stay healthy. Franco-British researchers, who followed 8,000 adults for more than 25 years, observed an increased risk of dementia in 50-70 year olds who sleep less than six hours a night. Their results, presented on April 20 in the journal type communicationsdo not show a correlation between the onset of dementia and lack of sleep but note an increased risk of around 30%.
An increased risk regardless of other factors
French researchers from Inserm and the University of Paris, in collaboration with their British counterparts from University College London (UCL) studied data from 7,959 Britons who reported on their sleep quality six times between 1985 and 2015. The volunteers were between the ages of 35 and 55 at the start of the study and between 63 and 86 at the end of the study. As of 2012, about 3,900 of them also wore an accelerometer watch at night to check the accuracy of their estimates. The results allowed the researchers to “study the link between sleep duration at different ages, its evolution between 50 and 70 years old, and the risk of onset of dementia over a period up to March 2019”, specified Inserm in a statement.
The study reveals that the risk of dementia increases in correlation with decreased sleep duration. In detail, this risk appears to be 20 to 40% higher in 50-60 year olds who sleep six hours or less per night. In 50-70 year olds, the threat of onset dementia is 30% higher in light sleepers,”regardless of whether they have cardiovascular, metabolic or mental health problems, which are known risk factors for dementia”, adds Inserm. The data collected by the accelerometers confirmed these results in the 3,900 participants who were equipped with them.
Treating sleep apnea reduces the risk of dementia
This study confirms the link between sleep and cognitive health. Recently, American researchers have suggested that treating sleep apnea can prevent dementia. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy, which involves sleeping with a mask that blows air in throughout the night, has been shown to reduce the risk of being diagnosed with dementia or the disease of Alzheimer’s.
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