Getting a solid night’s sleep is supposed to leave you feeling energised, but for many, that’s not the case. Even after a full eight hours, you might find yourself fighting to stay awake during the day, reaching for caffeine, or struggling to focus. This constant fatigue isn’t just frustrating—it could be a sign that something deeper is at play.
What if, despite clocking in the recommended eight hours of shut-eye, you still find yourself plagued by persistent daytime sleepiness?
Recent findings by medical researchers from the University of California have shed light on a concerning connection that could have significant implications for one’s cognitive health. They have unearthed a startling link between daytime drowsiness and an increased risk of dementia in older women.
This revelation is particularly alarming as it suggests that even those who manage to get a full night’s sleep may not be reaping the restorative benefits that are crucial for neurological health and memory consolidation.
Dementia, a term that encompasses a range of cognitive decline conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, has been known to disrupt sleep patterns. However, the new study raises the question of whether poor sleep quality is a precursor to dementia or a symptom of the brain’s gradual decay.
Dr Yue Leng, an epidemiologist at UC San Francisco with expertise in the intersection of sleep and neurodegeneration, emphasises that sleep disturbances could be an early indicator or risk factor for dementia, particularly in women in their 80s.
The importance of quality, uninterrupted sleep cannot be overstated. While achieving between seven and nine hours of good sleep each night is essential for maintaining concentration, motivation, and overall cognitive function, having quality sleep is much more beneficial.
The UC San Francisco and UC San Diego researchers analysed data from the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF), which tracked the health of women aged 65 and older from various US cities starting in the late 1980s.
The study followed 733 women with an average age of 83 over several decades. At the outset, none showed signs of cognitive impairment. The researchers then employed wrist-worn actigraphs, devices that measure movement and record sleep-wake cycles, to gather data on the participants’ sleep patterns. Over time, they observed that more than a third of the women experienced declining nighttime sleep (DNS), indicative of deteriorating sleep quality.
Alarmingly, the study found that women with increasing daytime sleepiness (IS) had double the risk of developing dementia compared to those with stable sleep patterns. Even after accounting for factors like age, education, and race, the heightened risk remained.
The actigraphy data also revealed that as women aged, their sleep habits changed, with both DNS and IS groups napping more during the day, exhibiting weaker circadian rhythms, and experiencing a decline in sleep quality year after year.
This research, published in the journal Neurology, adds to a growing body of evidence linking sleep patterns to dementia risk. A Harvard Medical School study, for instance, found that individuals aged 65 and older who slept five hours or less each night had double the likelihood of developing dementia than those who slept six to eight hours.
It’s important to note that poor sleep is also a known symptom of dementia. Those with the condition often have trouble falling and staying asleep and spend less time in the deeper, restorative stages of sleep that are critical for tissue repair, immune system function, memory processing, energy restoration, and brain waste clearance.
Dr Leng’s call for further studies to examine the nuances of daily sleep patterns and their long-term changes is a clarion call for the medical community and individuals. Understanding how these patterns correlate with dementia risk could lead to better prevention strategies and improved quality of life for older adults.
For our readers, this research underscores the importance of not only the quantity but the quality of sleep. If you’re experiencing persistent daytime sleepiness despite getting enough hours of rest, it may be worth discussing with your healthcare provider. It could be an early warning sign that warrants attention and potentially, intervention.
We invite you to share your experiences with sleep and any concerns you may have in the comments below. Your insights could be invaluable to others in the YourLifeChoices community who are navigating similar challenges.
Also read: The hidden culprits behind interrupted sleep—and how to stop them
