Get a good night’s sleep to protect against dementia

A GOOD night’s sleep could be the key to beating dementia, according to research.

A study of older people has found that plenty of deep REM (rapid eye movement) sleep – when vivid dreams occur – protected against the devastating neurological disorder.

It also found that spending less time in this phase of sleep increased the risk by more than a quarter.

And taking longer to enter the REM phase, by having too much light sleep, was also associated with the condition, scientists in the US claimed.

Dr Matthew Pase, of the University of Boston, explained: “By clarifying the role of sleep in the onset of dementia the hope is to identify ways to intervene so dementia can be delayed or even prevented.”

Too little sleep has long been linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Sleep is beneficial for the brain, allowing the clearing out of toxins that can trigger it.

The latest findings, published in the journal Neurology, were based on an analysis of 321 Americans aged over 60 who underwent an overnight sleep study between 1995 and 1998. It found that those who developed dementia spent an average of 17 per cent of their sleep in REM, compared with 20 per cent for those who did not.

Dr James Pickett, head of research at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “There’s increasing evidence that disturbed sleep is a risk factor for dementia.

“This study found, by monitoring patterns of brain activity during sleep, that trouble with the REM stages of sleep may be linked to a small increased risk of the condition.

“There are things we can do to try to improve our sleep, such as avoiding alcohol, caffeine and smoking in the hours before bed and establishing more routine around bedtime.”

By 2025 there will be one million people in the UK with dementia.