A bad night’s sleep does even more damage than we first thought
Major study reveals the full effect of a bad night’s sleep
- A large US study from the Mayo Clinic has linked chronic insomnia in older adults to brain changes that accelerate the trajectory towards dementia.
- Following 2,750 individuals aged 50 and over, researchers found that those with chronic insomnia experienced a faster decline in memory and thinking, and were 40% more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment or dementia.
- The study revealed that insomnia, particularly when combined with shorter-than-usual sleep, was associated with higher levels of amyloid plaques and white-matter damage in the brain.
- The impact of chronic insomnia on cognitive decline was found to be comparable to the effect of carrying the ApoE4 gene, a strong genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's.
- Experts emphasise that maintaining good sleep quality from midlife is a sensible brain-health strategy, though further research is needed to confirm if treating insomnia directly prevents dementia.