A recent study published by neurologists Yue Leng and Sasha Milton has uncovered a significant association between specific sleep patterns and the risk of dementia in older women. The research followed 733 participants, aged 83 on average, for five years using wearable wrist devices that track movement and sleep patterns.
The findings show that at the end of the study, 13% of the participants had developed dementia. Those with increasing sleepiness were found to have double the risk of stable sleepers after adjusting for other factors such as age, education, and health conditions. Notably, 25 participants (8%) had stable sleep patterns, while 39 (15%) experienced declining nighttime sleep patterns.
This study is significant because it provides new insights into how sleep patterns change over time and relate to dementia risk. The research builds upon previous UCSF-led studies that have linked poor sleep quality in midlife to a higher risk of dementia. However, the exact relationship between worsening sleep and dementia risk remains unclear, with both theories being possible explanations.
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging.
Source: https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2025/03/429651/increased-sleepiness-our-80s-tied-higher-dementia-risk