Studies have identified an association between insomnia and dementia. This relationship appears to be bi-directional and has significant ramifications both for prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.

Researchers conducted a national sample of older adults to investigate the relationship between sleep and dementia using longitudinal data on multiple forms of sleep disturbances and insomnia as an increased risk factor for dementia. Their investigation concluded that insomnia significantly increases this risk factor.

Researchers did this by analyzing data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), an annual research effort designed to collect information on sleep disturbances. Measurements taken included how long it took patients to fall asleep, whether or not they woke during the night and whether or not they felt refreshed upon awakening.

Adjusting for various factors, the researchers discovered that insufficient sleep was associated with an increased risk of dementia and participants who experienced insomnia were also more likely to have abnormally high levels of phosphorylated tau protein – a potential indicator of Alzheimer’s disease risk.

Insomnia is a prevalent issue for older adults and can be brought on by medical conditions like diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, anxiety and depression. Medication side effects may also contribute to insomnia; or it could even simply be the body responding involuntarily to changes in its natural rhythms.

Sleep plays a critical role in maintaining cognitive health and memory, so insomnia increases their risk for dementia. Poor mental function due to insomnia increases neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.

There can be numerous causes of insomnia for dementia patients, including sleep disturbances caused by medication, mood disorders, deprivation or environmental factors such as light exposure or noise pollution. Changes to circadian rhythm such as age-related decline in orexin (hypocretin) levels could also contribute.

The correlation between dementia and insomnia may be caused by several mechanisms. One likely link is poor sleep’s correlation with brain plaque accumulation and tau protein build-up – both hallmark features of dementia. Another mechanism may involve amyloid B protein accumulation associated with neurodegenerative disease in the interstitial space of the brain. Furthermore, insomnia disrupts your circadian rhythm, or body clock, leading to both increased energy, fatigue during daytime hours and circadian rhythm sleep disorders.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that insomnia increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders like vascular dementia. Furthermore, insomnia can act as an independent risk factor for hypertension and diabetes.

Sleep apnea issues for people living with dementia can be an enormous source of distress, which makes diagnosing and treating it crucial. Sleeplessness can have detrimental effects on quality of life, hamper their ability to engage in daily tasks, lead to premature deaths or institutionalization and lead to an overall reduction in independence. Consult with your doctor for sleep apnea, insomnia and dementia treatment based on your current medical conditions.