Longevity Briefs: Study finds, less than 6 hours sleep a night increases risk of dementia by 30%

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Longevity briefs provides a short summary of novel research in biology, medicine, or biotechnology that caught the attention of our researchers in Oxford, due to its potential to improve our health, wellbeing, and longevity.

Why is this research important: Sleep is being more frequently recognised as a crucial contributor to all manner of health conditions. However, we still lack comprehensive understanding of the relationship between short sleep duration and adverse health outcomes.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the relationship between dementia and sleep duration.

What did the researchers do: In an article published in Nature, a group of scientists analysed data from 7959 individuals, of ages 50,60 & 70 years old, who provided follow-up for 25 years, to find an association between the length of sleep and likelihood of dementia. Of the 7959 participants, 521 ended up being diagnosed with dementia.

Key takeaway(s) from this research: The researchers found that 50-60 year olds who consistently slept 6hrs or less each night have a 30% higher chance of developing dementia, compared with a regular 7hr sleep cycle.

These findings reinforce just how important getting enough sleep is for our long-term health.