Insomnia Increases the Risk of Dementia in Older Adults



Recent studies show that mental illness significantly increases the risk of dementia and other cognitive deficits.

Insomnia in older persons increases their risk of memory loss and long-term cognitive impairment, including dementia, according to recent Canadian research.

Over 26,000 participants in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, ranging in age from 45 to 85, provided data for the study, which was published in the journal SLEEP. The researchers contrasted neuropsychological testing in various cognitive areas from 2019 and a follow-up in 2022 with completed self-reported sleep and memory assessments. Those who claimed their sleep had gotten poorer over the course of those three years were more likely to report subjective memory decline.

"Adequately managing insomnia condition might become an important preventive tool for cognitive deterioration," write Jean-Louis Zhao and Nathan Cross. Thanks to Nathan Cross

According to co-lead author Nathan Cross, a postdoctoral fellow at the Sleep, Cognition and Neuroimaging Lab, "we discovered that insomnia specifically was connected to lower memory performance compared to individuals who had some insomnia symptoms alone or no sleep issues at all." We also examined other cognitive function areas, such as attention span and multitasking, and found that this memory loss was distinct. Only memory differences were discovered.

Jean-Louis Zhao from the University of Montreal served as the study's co-leader. The study's authors include Chun Yao, Ronald Postuma, Julie Carrier, and Nadia Gosselin from the University of Montreal, as well as Lisa Kakinami, Thanh Dang-Vu, and the PERFORM Centre.

Cross asserts that the use of a sizable data set and the emphasis on sleep disorders in this study on sleep quality are advantageous. He points out that insomnia is classified as a psychological disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the primary reference work used by medical professionals everywhere. A diagnosis of insomnia involves the presence of symptoms such as trouble falling asleep, remaining asleep, or waking up too early three nights a week over a period of three months. Insomnia is not merely some tossing and turning before bed. Additionally, persons who experience insomnia must admit that it interferes with their ability to function during the day, according to Cross.

Three groups of individuals in this study were created: those who did not report any sleep problems at the baseline in 2019; those who displayed some signs of insomnia; and those who likely developed insomnia. When they looked at the data from the 2022 follow-up, they saw that people who reported a decline in sleep quality—from no symptoms to some or probable insomnia, or from some symptoms to probable insomnia—were more likely to have memory loss, whether it was something they themselves reported or was noted by their doctor.

They were also more likely to have higher rates of smoking, a higher body mass index (BMI), anxiety, depression, daytime sleepiness, breathing disruptions when sleeping, and other sleep-related problems. These are all regarded as dementia and cognitive decline risk factors. The study also revealed that men with insomnia perform worse on memory tests than women, raising the possibility that older men may be more vulnerable.

The good news is that sleep disorders like insomnia can be treated, says Cross. This underlines how crucial it is to correctly identify and treat insomnia in older persons as soon as feasible. An essential preventive measure for cognitive decline and to lower the likelihood of dementia in later life may be to treat insomnia disorders effectively.

The study, "Insomnia disorder increases the likelihood of subjective memory impairment in middle-aged and older adults: a longitudinal analysis of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging," was published in the journal SLEEP. 

The provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, and British Columbia, as well as the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canada Foundation for Innovation, all contribute funding to the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

By CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY 

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