This Sleep Change Is Linked To Dementia Risk 10 Years Ahead Of Diagnosis

You may already know that good sleep habits have been linked to better brain health ― including, potentially, a lower dementia risk. 

Some studies suggest that getting a decent night’s sleep matters even more in middle age when it comes to reducing the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s.

It appears the relationship between dementia and sleep is a two-way street; it’s both associated with the development of the condition and can be a symptom of dementia once active. 

According to a study published in the journal Neurology, which used data from The Framingham Heart Study, which has been following a group of people and their children since 1948, a sleep change has been linked to “early dementia.” 

Sleeping for longer may be an early dementia sign

Researchers looked at self-reported sleep data from 2,457 participants at two points in the data collection, 13 years apart. 

A decade after that, the scientists looked at who in the study developed dementia. 

234 people went on to develop dementia. 

The study compared the sleep assessments to the dementia diagnoses and found that people who did not sleep for more than nine hours in the first sleep test, but who later went on to sleep more than nine hours in the second test, were more likely to develop dementia. 

“Prolonged sleep duration may be a marker of early neurodegeneration and hence a useful clinical tool to identify those at a higher risk of progressing to clinical dementia within 10 years,” they concluded ― though more research would be needed to prove a causal, rather than correlational, relationship. 

Dr Rosa Sancho, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, wrote: “This study used self-reported sleep information, which is not always reliable, so larger studies looking at a number of sleep-related factors will be needed to better understand this link.”

Dementia has long been associated with disturbed sleep

According to Dr Sancho, “While unusual sleep patterns are common for people with dementia, this study adds to existing research suggesting that changes in sleep could be apparent long before symptoms like memory loss start to show.” 

She adds that understanding more about the link “could one day help doctors to identify those who are at risk of developing the condition.” 

The more diagnostic tools we have for dementia, the better, as it benefits from earlier diagnosis.