An international group of scientists from France, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Finland has discovered the connection between the lack of sleep and the high risk of Dementia Dementia aged 50-70 years, including Alzheimer’s disease, the incurable disease of the brain, leading to incapacity and death. The article with the results of scientific work is published in the journal Nature Commubications.
Experts analyzed data on 7959 participants in many years of study Whitehall II, which began in 1985 and aimed at studying the social reasons for the prevalence of diseases and factors affecting the mortality rate among British civil servants. The search for associations between sleep deprivation and development of dementia for 25 years of observations was carried out.
Total diagnosed 521 cases of dementia, while the high percentage of the disease was observed among the participants of the 50-70 years, which slept less than six hours a day instead of normal seven hours. At the same time, for people aged 50, the risk increased 1.22 times, for 60 years – 1.37 times, and for 70 years – 1.24 times. In general, the probability of developing dementia due to sleep deprivation increased by 30 percent, regardless of other lifestyle factors, the health of the circulatory system and metabolism, social activity and mental well-being.
Scientists did not find the relationship between sleep lasting, exceeding the norm, and cognitive disorders, although previous studies also identified this correlation.
Since the study is observational, it is not able to establish a causal relationship, therefore the connection between the lack of sleep and the dementia is only a correlation. Dementia can also affect sleep quality, whose deterioration can be considered as an early symptom. At the same time, scientists consider it likely that bad sleep is harmful to the brain and makes it vulnerable to neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
The data available at the disposal of scientists at the moment show that smoking refusal, moderate alcohol consumption, mental and physical activity, balanced nutrition and control of cholesterol and blood pressure can help keep brain health with age.