Regularly sleeping six hours or less in your 50s and 60s is linked to an increased risk of later developing dementia, according to a British study.
Christian Benedict is a sleep researcher and associate professor of neuroscience at Uppsala University:
– This study is based on a lot of research that has been published in recent years, which shows that sleep seems to be a very important part of the equation for brain health, says Christian Benedict.
The study was followed almost 8,000 people in 25 years, from about 50 to 75 years of age. In questionnaires, they were allowed to state how long they slept, which in just over half was also checked during a period with a so-called accelerometer. The researchers also checked for other factors, such as physical and mental health.
They then saw that those who regularly slept 6 hours or less at the ages of 50 and 60, had a 30 percent higher risk of later developing dementia than those who slept 7 hours or more. But, says Christian Benedict:
– There are various sleep problems that have been linked to dementia risk to varying degrees. This risk can vary quite a lot, but they have not investigated it to this extent, they have focused on the length of sleep. But it is definitely something that you may also have to do in the future: What is it really that is most relevant? he says.
– If you think, for example, of sleep apnea, if it is untreated and severe, that is, you have respiratory arrest, it is much more dangerous compared to when you say “I have a little difficulty falling asleep” or “falling asleep again”, says Christian Benedict .
Source:
Sรฉverine Sabia et al. “Association of sleep duration in middle and old age with incidence of dementia”. Nature Communications, April 20, 2021. Doi: 10.1038 / s41467-021-22354-2
Source: ICELAND NEWS