Dementia: A certain way you sleep in middle age increases your risk by 30 percent – study

Dementia: Dr Sara on benefits of being in nature

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Dementia refers to a cluster of symptoms associated with brain decline. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, a brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills. One study has delved into certain habits in middle age and how it could increase early onset of the condition.

A study led by Doctor Séverine Sabia of Inserm and University College London examined how sleep patterns earlier in life may affect the onset of dementia decades later.

The study was supported in part by NIH’s National Institute on Aging (NIA) and appeared in Nature Communications.

The researchers examined data from nearly 8,000 people in the UK starting at age 50.

Participants were assessed on a wide variety of measures, including being asked on six occasions between 1985 and 2016 how many hours they slept a night.

To assess the accuracy of this self-reporting, some of the participants wore accelerometers to objectively measure sleep time.

Over the course of the study, 521 participants were diagnosed with dementia, at an average age of 77.

The results of the study showed that people in their 50s and 60s getting six hours of sleep or less were at greater risk of developing dementia later in life.

Compared to those getting normal sleep (defined as seven hours), people getting less rest each night were 30 percent more likely to be diagnosed with dementia.

Other studies have suggested that sleep patterns earlier in life may contribute to later dementia risk.

Both insufficient sleep and sleeping longer than average have been linked to a greater likelihood of developing dementia.

However, it has been hard to determine whether these sleep changes contribute to the disease or simply reflect early symptoms.

“Many treatments that have been suggested to improve quality of sleep involve lifestyle changes,” said the Alzheimer’s Society.

The health charity added: “Regular sleep regimes, eating schedules and diets, exercise, and ensuring exposure to bright light in the morning are all ways that you can improve your sleep quality.

“However, more research is needed to indicate whether these activities have an effect on risk of dementia or disease progression.”

Early symptoms of dementia include:

• Memory problems, particularly remembering recent events
• Increasing confusion
• Reduced concentration
• Personality or behaviour changes
• Apathy and withdrawal or depression
• Loss of ability to do everyday tasks.

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