Your sleep can affect your dementia risk, study says: neurologists explain the link
Good sleep is crucial for your overall health, but new research suggests it could impact your dementia risk, too.
That’s the major takeaway from a November 2024 study published in the journal Neurology. Of course, your individual risk of dementia can be raised by a variety of factors, but it's good to keep this in mind. Here’s what you need to know.
Meet the experts: Dr W. Christopher Winter, a neurologist and sleep medicine physician with Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine and host of the Sleep Unplugged podcast. Verna Porter, MD, a neurologist and director of the Dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease and Neurocognitive Disorders at Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Centre in Santa Monica, California.
What did the study find?
For the study, researchers analysed data from 445 adults aged 65 and up who lived in a community. The participants were assessed for motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR), which is considered a precursor to dementia. They also divided the participants into 'good' sleepers and 'poor' sleepers.
The researchers discovered 35% of study participants who had extreme daytime sleepiness went on to develop MCR. By comparison, just 6.7% of participants who didn’t have daytime sleepiness developed MCR.
What is motoric cognitive risk syndrome?
Motoric cognitive risk syndrome is a series of symptoms that suggest someone may be developing dementia. It’s characterised by slow walking and cognitive complaints, like trouble with memory and thinking.
Feeling tired after a long day is considered a normal part of aging, explains Dr Verna Porter, a neurologist and director of the Dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease and Neurocognitive Disorders at Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California. But this study focused on excessive sleepiness, like falling asleep during meals or social activities.
This could also cause a 'marked lack of enthusiasm for daily tasks,' Porter says, adding that these symptoms 'go beyond' normal fatigue.
What is the connection between sleep and preventing dementia?
This isn’t the first time that better sleep has been linked with a lower risk of dementia: A study published in October even found that people with sleep apnea are more likely to develop dementia.
'There is an established line between individuals with dysfunctional or inadequate sleep and dementia,' says Dr W. Christopher Winter, a neurologist and sleep medicine physician with Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine and host of the Sleep Unplugged podcast. 'The mechanisms that rid waste from the brain are far more active when we sleep.'
When you have healthy sleep, the glymphatic system in your brain – which pumps out waste products—is more active and efficient, Winter explains. But on the flip side, when you have poor sleep, your brain can’t do what it needs to do overnight to restore itself.
If I can’t get eight hours, would naps help prevent dementia?
It’s not clear: Researchers don’t know the exact cause of dementia, let alone how to prevent it. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends doing these things to lower your risk of developing dementia:
Be physically active
Try to prevent or manage diabetes
Manage your blood pressure
Try to prevent or correct hearing loss
Try to limit or avoid drinking alcohol
Try to limit or avoid smoking
However, Winter says that naps will likely help, too. 'Any sleep counts, although sleep that is regular in its scheduling is far more effective,' he says. 'So trying to nap "on a schedule" can elevate the power of your naps tremendously.'
How can I get better sleep?
Sleep is complicated, but if you find that you’re struggling with falling asleep or staying asleep, there are a few things you can do. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggests the following:
Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, even on weekends
Try to exercise every day (but not close to bedtime)
Get natural sunlight for at least 30 minutes day
Avoid nicotine and caffeine
Don’t take naps after mid-afternoon
Avoid alcohol and large meals before bed
Limit electronics before bed
Keep your room cool and free of sound and light distractions
If you can’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, get up and do a relaxing activity until you feel tired again
If none of those help, contact your doctor about next steps. They should be able to offer personalised advice or refer you to a sleep specialist who can help.
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