Can Poor Sleep Lead to Dementia?

People who have sleep apnea or spend less time in deep sleep may be more likely to have changes in the brain that are associated with dementia, according to a study recently published online the the journal Neurology. The study found that those who don’t have as much oxygen in their blood during sleep are more likely to have micro infarcts than people with higher levels of oxygen in the blood. In addition, people who spent less time in slow wave sleep were more likely to have loss of brain cells than people who spent more time in deep sleep. For the study, 167 Japanese American men had sleep tests conducted in their homes when they were an average age of 84. All were followed until they died an average of six years later, and autopsies were conducted on their brains to look for micro infarcts, loss of brain cells, the plaques and tangles associated with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy bodies found in Lewy body dementia. “[The] findings suggest that low blood oxygen levels and reduced slow wave sleep may contribute to the processes that lead to cognitive decline and dementia,” said the study’s author. “More research is needed to determine how slow wave sleep may play a restorative role in brain function and whether preventing low blood oxygen levels may reduce the risk of dementia.” To learn more about the study, click here.