While cognitive disorders like Alzheimer's and dementia are typically associated with memory loss, confusion and struggling to follow what's happening on TV, some behavior shifts and related symptoms are so subtle it takes a team of scientists to recognize them.
And sometimes, those scientists—like those who conducted University of California San Francisco's latest research on dementia—need five whole years to confirm their hypotheses.
Published in Neurology, the recent UCSF study investigated how subtle changes in sleep could signal—or even contribute to—a higher risk of developing mild cognitive impairment or dementia. And the results are pretty enlightening.
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To test their theory, the researchers followed 733 cognitively healthy women (average age: 82.5), tracking their sleep habits over three days. They monitored nighttime sleep duration and quality, nap frequency and length and daily rhythms (like sleep-wake cycles). Five years later, they repeated the sleep tracking and administered cognitive health tests, grouping participants into categories based on how much their sleep changed.
The first group, Stable Sleep (SS), showed little to no difference in sleep patterns. The second, Declining Nighttime Sleep, experienced worse sleep quality at night and increased daytime napping. The third, “Increasing Sleepiness” (IS), slept significantly more both during the day and at night, showing signs of disrupted circadian rhythms (which means their internal sleep-wake clocks seemed off).
Related: This Silent Condition May Triple Dementia Risk—and Most Women Don’t Know They Have It
As for what they found? 93 women—or 12.7% of participants—developed dementia over the five years. They were also primarily of the same sleep group: According to the study, women with "increasing sleepiness" and exhaustion had double the risk of developing dementia as those with stable sleep patterns.
Other bedtime behaviors were linked to a higher dementia risk too, such as worse sleep quality, spending more time awake at night and longer and more frequent naps than usual.
Related: This Surprising Symptom May Reveal Alzheimer’s Years Early
Why Does This Matter for Me?
This research reinforces what several other studies have shown: anything that triggers chronic exhaustion—whether it’s poor sleep quality, staying up too late or even frequent nightmares—is strongly associated with a higher risk of developing dementia. In fact, feeling consistently tired has been linked to up to twice the risk compared to those who don’t.
So for the sake of your brain, please prioritize consistent, quality sleep. Especially since, based on on this study, maintaining stable and restful sleep habits may help lower your dementia risk.
That said, sleeping too much isn’t always a good thing. If you—or an older adult you care about—suddenly start sleeping much more than usual, whether during the day or at night, and feel unusually sluggish or low-energy, it’s worth checking in with a doctor. Clearly, subtle shifts in sleep habits can be an early warning sign of dementia—and catching those changes early can make all the difference when it comes to care and treatment.
Up Next:
Related: This Common Problem May Actually Be an Early Sign of Dementia, According to a Neuroscientist
Sources
Five-Year Changes in 24-Hour Sleep-Wake Activity and Dementia Risk in Oldest Old Women. Neurology. Read More Details
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