A recent study published in Neurology suggests that individuals with irregular sleep patterns may face an increased risk of dementia compared to those with more consistent sleep routines.
While the study highlights an association between sleep irregularity and dementia, it does not establish a cause-and-effect relationship.
Sleep regularity refers to the consistency with which a person goes to bed and wakes up at the exact times each day. It is an often overlooked aspect of sleep health.
The conventional focus has been on achieving the recommended amount of sleep, typically seven to nine hours per night. However, this study underscores the importance of maintaining a regular sleep schedule.
Matthew Paul Pase, Ph.D., from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, the study’s lead author, explains, “Our findings suggest the regularity of a person’s sleep is an important factor when considering a person’s risk of dementia.”
The study involved 88,094 participants from the United Kingdom with an average age of 62. These individuals were monitored for an average of seven years.
To assess their sleep regularity, participants wore a wrist device for seven consecutive days to measure their sleep patterns.
Researchers evaluated the likelihood of being in the same sleep state (asleep or awake) at two different time points 24 hours apart, averaged over seven days.
Participants with consistent sleep schedules received a sleep regularity index score of 100, while those with varying sleep times each day scored lower.
The study also analyzed medical data to identify individuals who developed dementia, ultimately identifying 480 cases.
The research unveiled a connection between sleep regularity scores and the risk of dementia. Those with the most irregular sleep patterns faced the highest risk of developing dementia.
Specifically, individuals in the lowest fifth percentile, with the most irregular sleep (average score of 41), had a 53% higher likelihood of developing dementia compared to those in the middle group (average sleep regularity score of 60).
Even after adjusting for factors such as age, sex, and genetic risk of Alzheimer’s disease, individuals with irregular sleep patterns maintained a significantly higher dementia risk.
Surprisingly, those with highly regular sleep patterns did not exhibit a lower risk of dementia than those in the middle group.
Matthew Paul Pase emphasizes that improving sleep regularity through effective sleep health education and behavioral therapies may help individuals with irregular sleep patterns.
He suggests that achieving average sleep regularity levels, rather than extremely high levels, may be sufficient to reduce dementia risk. However, further research is needed to confirm these findings.
It’s important to note that while this study adjusted for several potential factors influencing dementia risk, the possibility of unidentified factors contributing to the link between sleep regularity and dementia cannot be ruled out.
As such, ongoing research will continue to explore the intricate relationship between sleep patterns and cognitive health.
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The research findings can be found in Neurology.
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