A new study has found that individuals with irregular sleep schedules – waking up at least twice during the night – were 53% more likely to develop dementia, although the exact relationship between the disease and regular sleep has not been established.
Key Facts
While researchers at the National Institutes of Health recommend getting seven to nine hours of sleep per night, new research suggests that this may be less important than maintaining a regular sleep schedule.
Regular sleep is defined as going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, according to the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), in collaboration with the National Health and Medical Research Council in Australia and the Genetics Bank in the UK.
Research and Findings
AAN researchers tracked the sleep patterns of over 88,000 individuals in the UK, with an average age of 62, over seven years in a new study published in the journal Neurology on Wednesday.
The study calculated a Sleep Regularity Index (SRI) for each participant, which measures how likely the person is to be asleep or awake at the same time each day.
The study found that 480 participants developed dementia, and those with low SRI, thus having irregular sleep patterns, were 53% more likely to develop dementia.
However, the relationship between irregular sleep and dementia remains unclear, according to the AAN, but the study suggests that the two may be closely related.
Main Background
The National Institutes of Health states that irregular sleep is characterized by sleeping in three short periods lasting from 1 to 4 hours throughout the day. Researchers are only beginning to understand how irregular sleep can affect the rest of the body. Earlier this year, a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that irregular sleep was associated with the development of atherosclerosis. Cardiovascular risk is also a “modifiable risk factor for dementia,” according to the new study in the journal Neurology. Another study published by the National Institutes of Health in 2019 linked irregular sleep to metabolic disorders, including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar. The same study found that for every hour of change in sleep hours, a person has up to a 27% chance of developing a metabolic disorder.
Additional Details
The new study builds on other recent studies linking sleep health to dementia risk. Short sleep, long sleep, and other sleep disorders such as sleep apnea have been associated with dementia, with sleep apnea particularly linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
Interesting Fact
The study also found that individuals with irregular sleep only need to improve their sleep regularity to moderate levels to avoid the risk of dementia. Individuals can achieve this by maintaining regular sleep and wake schedules, according to the AAN.
Further Reading
Forbes Health: How Sleep Deprivation Affects Your Health
More from Forbes: Good Sleep Can Improve Health and Add Years to Your Life, According to the Study
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