Chronic insomnia in older adults is linked to Dementia, according to a US-based study. Research has shown that poor sleep hygiene leads to chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and sleep apnoea, which further affects brain health. Chronic insomnia could erode white matter, raise amyloid, blood sugar and pressure.
The study focused on memory tests, brain scans amyloid plaque buildup and minute damage in white matter in 2,750 people aged 50 and above for a period of five and half years.
People diagnosed with insomnia at least twice a month were marked as suffering from chronic insomnia. Such people had higher levels of amyloid plaque and white matter damage leading to decline in memory power and thinking capacity and possibility of having cognitive impairment.
Insomnia along with lesser than usual sleep was harmful, as those who bettered their sleep pattern and showed lesser white matter damage. The models of the study showed the effect of carrying ApoE4 variant, the common genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s.
This along with other studies in China and UK show that good midlife sleep hygiene and beyond is linked to good mental health in later years. Quality sleep is a step towards better mental health.
