People who suffer from sleep problems could be twice as likely to develop dementia later in life, new research suggests.
A major study found that those diagnosed with a sleep disorder were significantly more at risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases, including dementia, over 15 years.
The research was carried out by Cardiff University’s UK Dementia Research Institute in collaboration with the NIH Intramural Centre for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias (CARD) in the United States.
Scientists set out to determine whether disrupted sleep serves as an early warning sign of neurodegeneration or actively contributes to the onset of dementia.
To do this, the research team analysed more than one million electronic health records, charting the link between various sleep disorders and neurological conditions.
Their findings showed that having more than one sleep disorder further increased a person’s chances of developing dementia.
The data also indicated that sleep issues heightened the risk of both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, even in people with no known genetic predisposition.
According to the researchers, this suggests that sleep disorders and genetics may influence dementia risk independently of each other.
Dr Emily Simmonds, a bioinformatician at the UK Dementia Research Institute, said the study aimed to untangle the complex relationship between sleep and cognitive decline.
“People living with dementia often experience sleep problems, but there isn’t enough clear evidence to say whether poor sleep increases the risk,” she said.
Dr Simmonds said the team wanted to pinpoint the sequence of events — whether sleep problems appear first, or follow early signs of neurodegeneration.
“By using biobank data, we were able to look at precise timestamps of when sleep disorders were diagnosed, and when a neurodegenerative condition followed,” she added.
The study authors suggest that early detection and treatment of sleep disorders could be a vital step in reducing the risk of dementia in the future.
