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3 Napping Habits Linked To Dementia Years Before Diagnosis
HuffPost UK • • health
Key Points:
- Research indicates a complex relationship between sleep patterns and dementia, with both insufficient and excessive sleep potentially linked to increased dementia risk in older adults.
- A study of 995 adults over 65 found that frequent daytime napping was associated with a 48% higher risk of developing dementia over ten years, with unintentional napping and naps of 30 minutes or less also linked to increased risk.
- These associations persisted even after excluding participants diagnosed with dementia within five years, suggesting changes in napping habits may precede clear dementia symptoms.
- Experts caution that frequent napping might be a marker of underlying brain changes rather than a direct cause of dementia, emphasizing that the study shows correlation, not causation.
- Unusual sleep patterns, including increased daytime napping, are common in people with dementia and may appear well before symptoms like memory loss become evident.
