DEMENTIA and sleep have long been linked.
Not getting enough sleep is associated with developing the disease.
But people who suffer with disrupted sleep are also at risk of the condition later in life.
So tossing and turning could be doing more than giving you a frustrating night.
A study by the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders looked into the effect of having restless sleep patterns.
It found people who collectively get less than five hours of sleep each night have double the risk of developing dementia.
This was compared to those who got a solid seven to eight hours kip.
It has been previously thought losing one night's sleep could increase proteins in the brain which cause dementia.
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A lack of sleep is thought to mean the brain doesn't have enough time to properly clear out beat-amyloid protein.
The protein forms toxic deposits that lodge between brain cells, and is one of the key characteristics of dementia.
The lead author of the study, Rebecca Robbins, of the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders: “Our findings illuminate a connection between sleep deficiency and risk of dementia and confirm the importance of efforts to help older individuals obtain sufficient sleep each night."
Senior author, Charles Czesiler, chief of the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders noted: “This protective study reveals that sleep deficiency at baseline when the average age of participants was 76 years old, was associated with double the risk of dementia incidence and all-cause mortality over the next four to five years.
“These data add to the evidence that sleep is important for brain health and highlight the need for further research on the efficacy of improving sleep and treating sleep disorders on the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and mortality."
Dementia is a general term used to describe the deterioration of a person's mental ability.
It is an umbrella term, as there are many different types of the condition.
One of those is Alzheimer's – which is the most common form of dementia.
It causes problems with thinking, reasoning and memory – as these are the areas in the brain that become damaged by the disease.
There are currently 944,000 people with dementia in the UK, more than ever before, and this number is projected to increase, says Alzheimer's Research UK.
If you struggle with getting off to sleep and staying asleep, we put together 13 surprising hacks to help you nod off faster.
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