SLEEP AND DEMENTIA

New research from Brigham and Women’s Hospital has found that the risk of dementia was double among participants who reported getting less than five hours of sleep compared to those who reported 7-8 hours of sleep per night. The researchers also found associations between sleep disturbance and sleep deficiency with overall risk of death. Routinely taking 30 minutes or longer to fall asleep was associated with a 45 per cent greater risk for incident dementia. Routinely experiencing a difficulty in staying alert, as well as napping, reporting poor sleep quality, and sleeping five or fewer hours per night was also associated with increased risk of death.