People who wake up in middle of night 'more likely' to develop dementia
Millions of people who wake up at least twice in the night are more likely to develop dementia, a new study has found.
Experts at the American Academy of Neurology monitored the sleep patterns of more than 88,000 people in the UK, with an average age of 62, over the last seven years.
In the study, which was published in the medical journal Neurology on Wednesday, researchers calculated a sleep regularity index (SRI) for each participant, which determines how likely they are to be asleep or awake at the same time each day.
The study concluded that a total of 480 participants developed dementia, and people with irregular sleep patterns, were 53% more likely to develop dementia. Although the relationship between irregular sleep and dementia is unclear, the study shows the two may be closely related.
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New research has determined there could be a link to dementia (Getty Images/iStockphoto)Researchers at the American Academy of Neurology also looked at diopathic hypersomnia, which is feeling excessively tired during daylight hours. The rare condition is much more common than previously thought, according to the new findings.
“We examined data from a large sleep study and found that this condition is much more common than previous estimates and as prevalent as some other common neurologic and psychiatric conditions such as epilepsy, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia,” said study author Dr. David T. Plante of the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Both day and nighttime sleep data from 792 people, with an average age of 59, were studied. 1.5% of that population (12 people) was observed to have the condition. It was previously thought to impact only .005 to 0.3% of people.
“Our results demonstrate that idiopathic hypersomnia is relatively common, more prevalent than generally assumed, so there is likely a sizable difference between the number of people with this disorder and those who seek treatment,” Plante added.
Previous studies found that people with irregular sleep only need to improve their sleep regularity to help avoid the risk of dementia. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health recommend you get seven to nine hours of sleep per night.
However, this may be less important than maintaining a regular sleep schedule. Regular sleep is defined as going to bed and waking up at the same time each day, according to the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).
In addition, irregular sleep is said to be sleeping three short bouts lasting 1-4 hours over the course of a day. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, irregular sleep was linked to developing clogged arteries. Meanwhile, cardiovascular risk is also a “well-established modifiable risk factor for dementia,” according to a new study in Neurology.
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