Feeling Sleepy At This Time May Reveal Higher Dementia Risk

Some studies have found an association between poor sleep quality (especially in midlife) and an increased risk of dementia. 

Alzheimer’s Society says that once dementia has developed, those with the condition may slip into a vicious sleep cycle too ― “A person with dementia may have problems with sleeping well or at the right times. Poor sleep may make the symptoms of dementia worse,” they say.

Now, a new study has linked daytime sleepiness to an increased risk of dementia, though it does not prove napping in the day causes the condition.

How did the study work?

A new study published in the journal Neurology looked at questionnaire results from 445 participants, all of whom were over 65.

The average age was 76; none of them had dementia at the start of the study. 

They were asked about a range of sleep disturbances, including getting up in the middle of the night, struggling to fall asleep in the first place, having trouble with sleep temperature, and any sleep medications. 

Researchers also asked whether the participants felt sleepy throughout the day, including whether they struggled to stay awake while doing important tasks like driving or while eating or socialising. 

They found that people who had excessive daytime sleepiness and a lack of enthusiasm for daytime activities were three times more likely than “good sleepers” to develop something called motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR).

MCR is a “predementia syndrome characterized by slow gait speed and cognitive complaints,” the paper reads. 

Will I definitely get dementia if I get sleepy in the day?

That’s not what this study says; it only found a link, not a cause, between the two. 

The researchers themselves say that “Further studies are needed to validate mechanisms of this relationship.” 

Still, this is far from the first study to link disturbed or irregular sleep to a higher risk of dementia. 

“Currently, researchers are not sure how sleep and dementia are linked. Does poor sleep increase dementia risk, or does dementia lead to poor sleep?” Alzheimer’s Society asked. 

“Some researchers believe that both of these theories could be true, and the relationship could be circular,” they add.