These sleep habits can substantially increase your risk of dementia.

How long people sleep and when they go to bed can affect their risk of developing dementia. (CREDIT: Creative Commons)

How long people sleep and when they go to bed can affect their risk of developing dementia, according to a new study.

The results were published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Researchers from China, Sweden and the UK found that sleeping more than eight hours increased the risk of developing dementia by 69%, and sleeping until 9 pm rather than 10 pm or later doubled the risk of developing dementia.

In addition, the study found that “cognitive function should be monitored in older people who report prolonged bed rest and accelerated sleep, especially older men aged 60 to 74.”

Research in the future “may clarify whether a modest decline is [time in bed] and delaying sleep may help slow cognitive decline and delay the onset of dementia in the elderly,” writes Dr. Rui Liu, lead author of the study, from Shandong University Provincial Hospital in Jinan, China.

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A total of 97 participants were diagnosed with dementia during a mean follow-up of 3.7 years out of 2,000 older people in China who did not have dementia at baseline.

The researchers noted that most research on sleep and dementia has focused almost exclusively on white populations in North America and Europe.

The study notes that older Chinese living in rural areas tend to go to bed earlier, wake up earlier, sleep less, and develop dementia more frequently than Westerners and city dwellers, due in part to differences in socioeconomic status. culture, education. , and lifestyle.

Multi-variable adjustment spline curves for association of sleep characteristics with onset dementia (n = 1982). Solid lines represent dementia risk ratios adjusted for age, sex, education, body mass index, alcohol consumption, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, coronary heart disease, stroke, and APOE genotype. Shaded areas represented 95% CI. The histogram represents the distribution of study participants. CI, confidence interval. (TEACHING: Association of sleep time and time in bed with dementia and cognitive decline among older people in China: a cohort study)

To try to fill the knowledge gap, the study participants were elderly people living in rural areas, mostly with low income and limited education, in the western province of Shandong.

The scientists noted that sleep problems and cognitive decline are associated with demographic factors such as age, gender and education. In addition, short sleep duration is well known as a genetic risk factor for dementia.

Associations of baseline sleep characteristics with changes in MMSE scores among participants who did not have dementia at follow-up, stratified by baseline age group (60–74 vs. ≥75 years) and sex (n = 1845). Results were adjusted for age, gender, education, body mass index, alcohol use, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, coronary heart disease, stroke, APOE genotype, baseline MMSE score, and time of follow-up. (TEACHING: Association of sleep time and time in bed with dementia and cognitive decline among older people in China: a cohort study)

However, in population studies, the link between sleep problems and dementia has been found to be inconsistent, the researchers say.

In the authors’ opinion, the results should be interpreted with caution due to the fact that sleep characteristics were self-reported, there were no data on factors such as sleep apnea, and there was a relatively short follow-up period.

Tips for Better Sleep

Good sleep habits (sometimes called “sleep hygiene”) can help you get a good night’s sleep.

Some habits that can improve your sleep include:

• Be consistent. Go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning, including on weekends.

• Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, relaxing and at a comfortable temperature.

• Remove electronic devices from the bedroom, such as televisions, computers, and smartphones.

• Avoid large meals, caffeine and alcohol before bed.

• Get some exercise. Physical activity during the day can help you fall asleep more easily at night.

For more information on sleep nurturing, check out the resources here:

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