Sleeping less than six hours carries higher risk of dementia

29 Apr 2021

Sleeping less than six hours carries higher risk of dementia

Sleeping less than six hours carries higher risk of dementiaA new study says that sleeping less than 6 hours a night can increase the risk of dementia. This is especially true for middle-aged adults who are around 50 or 60 years of age.

Key facts!

This finding was taken from a study conducted on about 8000 people in the UK for more than 30 years.
The study, called Whitehall II, was started in 1985.
Scientists found that 50-year-olds who were sleeping six hours or less a night had a 22% higher risk of developing dementia later in life.
60-year-olds were also 37% more likely to develop dementia.
They were compared with people who slept for seven hours each night.
However, it doesn't mean the researchers are saying that poor sleep causes dementia.
It is just that they noticed that people in the Whitehall study who developed dementia later tended to sleep less than other patients.
Earlier studies have shown that too little or too much sleep is both linked to an increased risk of dementia.

Related Articles!

World Sleep Day!
World Alzheimer’s Day!
The brain is more active when you are asleep!

Be sure to check out this short Youtube TED video on the benefits to the brain of deep sleep.

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A new study says that sleeping less than 6 hours a night can increase the risk of dementia. This is especially true for middle-aged adults who are around 50 or 60 years of age.

What is dementia?

Dementia is a general term for loss of memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities. They are severe enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia.

How many people are affected by dementia globally?

According to the World Health Organization, worldwide, around 50 million people have dementia. And there are nearly 10 million new cases every year.

Key facts!

This finding was taken from a study conducted on about 8000 people in the UK for more than 30 years.
The study, called Whitehall II, was started in 1985.
Scientists found that 50-year-olds who were sleeping six hours or less a night had a 22% higher risk of developing dementia later in life.
60-year-olds were also 37% more likely to develop dementia.
They were compared with people who slept for seven hours each night.
However, it doesn’t mean the researchers are saying that poor sleep causes dementia.
It is just that they noticed that people in the Whitehall study who developed dementia later tended to sleep less than other patients.
Earlier studies have shown that too little or too much sleep is both linked to an increased risk of dementia.

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