A new study from the University of California, San Francisco, has found that older adults who often use sleep medications might have a higher chance of developing dementia.
This risk seems to be especially high for white individuals. The kind of sleep medicine and how often it is taken may both affect this risk.
The research involved about 3,000 older adults who were free of dementia when the study began. These people were followed for around nine years as part of the Health, Aging, and Body Composition study. The average age of the participants was 74. Among them, 58% were white and 42% were Black.
During the study, about 20% of the participants developed dementia. The study showed that white people who used sleep medicines often—defined as using them five or more times a month—were 79% more likely to develop dementia than those who rarely or never used them.
This pattern was not seen in Black participants, who generally used sleep aids less often than white participants.
The types of medications used were also different between the racial groups. White participants were more likely to use medications such as benzodiazepines (like Halcion and Restoril), which are used to treat long-term insomnia.
They were also 10 times more likely to take trazodone, an antidepressant that can help with sleep, and over seven times more likely to use Z-drugs like Ambien, a type of sedative often used to help people fall asleep.
Even though the study found a strong connection between frequent sleep medication use and dementia risk, it does not prove that the medications directly cause dementia. The researchers say more studies are needed to understand the effects of these drugs on the brain and how those effects may differ based on race.
Sleep medicines have already been linked to other health issues, such as a higher risk of falls, car accidents, broken bones, and even death. Some research has also connected long-term use of these medications to cancer and serious illnesses.
For example, one study in 2015 found that people who used drugs like benzodiazepines had a greater chance of getting Alzheimer’s disease.
Doctors are now being advised to be very careful when giving sleep medications to patients, especially white patients who may face more risk. Instead of pills, people are encouraged to try safer options.
These include changes in daily habits like going to bed and waking up at the same time each day, cutting back on caffeine, and staying off screens before bedtime. Other helpful approaches include relaxation exercises and cognitive behavioral therapy, which teaches new ways to think about and manage sleep problems.
This study, led by researcher Yue Leng and her team, was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. It is an important reminder that while sleep is necessary for good health, the way we treat sleep problems matters. If you are having trouble sleeping, choosing safer methods may help protect both your rest and your brain.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about Vitamin B9 deficiency linked to higher dementia risk, and cranberries could help boost memory.
For more health information, please see recent studies about heartburn drugs that could increase risk of dementia, and results showing this MIND diet may protect your cognitive function, prevent dementia.
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