A new study suggests seniors with chronic insomnia face a 40% higher risk of dementia and faster brain aging.
Seniors struggling with chronic insomnia may face a heightened risk of dementia and faster cognitive decline, according to a study published Thursday in Neurology.
Researchers followed 2,750 older adults, average age 70, for more than five years. About 16% reported persistent insomnia, defined as difficulty sleeping at least three nights a week for three months or more. Those with chronic insomnia were 40% more likely to develop dementia or mild cognitive impairment than better sleepers, an effect equivalent to 3.5 years of additional brain aging.
Brain scans showed poor sleepers were more likely to have tissue damage and amyloid plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. The effect was especially strong in people carrying the APOE4 gene linked to Alzheimer’s.
“Insomnia doesn’t just affect how you feel the next day — it may also impact your brain health over time,” said lead researcher Dr. Diego Carvalho of the Mayo Clinic. He urged treatment of insomnia to protect long-term brain function.