This Many Sleepless Nights A Week Could Raise Dementia Risk By 40%

InsomniaScientists already think that regular poor sleep, especially in midlife, might increase your odds of developing dementia (less than five hours a night has been associated with double the risk).And sudden changes to how long you sleep for may be linked to the condition years before diagnosis.We aren’t exactly sure how or why sleep could have this effect on the brain. But a recent paper has added to the existing associations.The researchers involved in the study found that those with “chronic insomnia” could face an increased dementia risk.How much bad sleep does it take to raise my dementia risk?In this paper, “chronic insomnia” was defined as having trouble sleeping for at least three nights a week for at least three months. Some 2,750 participants with an average age of 70 were tracked for 5.6 years. They were all dementia-free at the start of the study, and 16% had chronic insomnia. After conducting memory and thinking tests as well as brain scans, the scientists found that those who reported insomniac sleep patterns had more amyloid plaque formation, which is linked to dementia development.Of those who self-reported chronic insomnia at the start of the study, 14% went on to develop insomnia, compared to 10% among those who didn’t have sleep issues.People with insomnia were 40% more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment or dementia than those without insomnia.Speaking to MedicalNewsToday, the study’s lead author, Dr Diego Z Carvalho, said: “In our models, the impact of insomnia on the risk of mild cognitive impairment/dementia was higher than having two cardiometabolic conditions like hypertension and diabetes, or being 3.5 years older than your actual age, which are known risk factors.”Why might insomnia affect dementia risk? We still can’t say for sure, but Dr Carvalho suggested this research has given him some ideas.“We found that insomnia with reduced sleep was not only associated with Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers like amyloid, but also with poorer cerebrovascular health with greater evidence for small vessel disease as shown by white matter hyperintensities,” he said.This matters because both the buildup of amyloid plaque proteins and poorer heart and vessel health are independently linked to increased dementia risk. The lead researcher also recommended that more doctors include sleep tests in their regular screenings, especially with older patients.Related...Here's How Many Steps To Walk A Day To Lower Your Dementia RiskThis Eating Habit Can Be An Early Sign Of DementiaWhat Is Frontotemporal Dementia, The Condition Bruce Willis Is Diagnosed With?

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