Is There A Relationship Between Sleep And Dementia?

We all have trouble falling or staying asleep. Life, work, bills, kids, parents, all of these things in our busy lives can pile up and keep us from dreamland. And while we know how difficult it can be to function the day after we’ve been up all night there may also be long-term consequences to our sleepless nights.

Four recent studies presented to the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2012 in July have raised questions of whether quality and quantity of sleep, or sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, may influence the rate of dementia.

A press release issued from the conference cited the studies and their implications.

"The studies presented today at AAIC suggest that cognitive health declines over the long term in some people with sleep problems. The good news is that tools already exist to monitor sleep duration and quality and to intervene to help return sleep patterns to normal. If we do this, there is the possibility that we may also help people preserve their cognitive health, but that needs to be tested," said William Thies, PhD, Alzheimer's Association® chief medical and scientific officer.

One of the studies evaluated over 1,300 adults over the age of 75, assessing their sleep patterns and then their cognitive abilities after five years. The study’s author, psychiatrist Kristine Yaffe of the University of California, San Francisco, found that those with sleep disordered breathing or sleep apnea had more than twice the odds of developing dementia years later.

Another study examined the duration of sleep in participants. Some of the results were that those who slept 5 hours per day or less had lower average cognition than those that slept 7 hours a day. Those who slept 9 hours per day or more also had a lower cognition.

While all four studies indicated some association between sleep patterns and later onset of dementia none were conclusive and all study authors called for more intense studies to be performed.

In the meantime Yaffe suggests only using the bedroom for sleep or sex and all other activities be moved elsewhere, particularly television watching and reading. Practicing good sleep habits may be the best prevention in anticipation of aging and subsequent sleep loss.