Healthy sleep – healthy brain

Insomnia and lack of sleep increase the risk of dementia by half

Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+

This is the first major study indicating the relationship between insomnia and the risks of cognitive impairment, scientists from University of Pennsylvania. Given that the vast majority of adults regularly lack sleep and from time to time experience symptoms of insomnia, the new data are of great importance for the prevention of an incurable disease.

Insomnia is characterized by difficulty falling asleep in the evening, an early morning rise with the inability to return to sleep again, as well as restless sleep during the night. When such symptoms occur at least three nights a week for three months, this condition is called chronic. It is believed that 10% of people have chronic insomnia and about 25% experience similar symptoms from time to time.

It is known from previous studies that adults with insomnia who sleep less than six hours a day have increased risks of various cardiometabolic conditions, including hypertension, diabetes, stroke and depression.

New data show that such patients also have an increased risk of cognitive impairment, which may be an early sign of dementia in the future.

1741 patients took part in the experiment. All of them complained of insomnia and were invited to the laboratory to assess the quality of night sleep. To assess their state of health, scientists conducted various cognitive tests and asked volunteers about the duration and quality of their sleep in everyday life.

It turned out that people with chronic insomnia or signs of a sleep disorder who slept less than six hours had twice the risk of cognitive impairment. This relationship was particularly strong in patients with cardiometabolic disorders.

On the contrary, similar symptoms on the background of longer sleep did not increase the risks.

"This is the first major study linking insomnia with cognitive risks, but so far it does not prove a clear cause-and–effect relationship," the authors explained. Currently, the findings are of great importance for identifying people with characteristic complaints who may be at increased risk of dementia. This neurodegenerative disease is incurable, but early prevention is of great importance for slowing it down.

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