Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer lifeLive your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletterLive your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletterHaving trouble sleeping at night could be aging your brain prematurely, according to researchers, resulting in a higher likelihood of developing dementia. People with chronic insomnia, a condition defined as having trouble sleeping at least three days a week for three months or more, had a 40 percent higher risk of dementia and mild cognitive impairment than those who didn’t have insomnia. That’s the equivalent of 3.5 additional years of brain aging, according to the American Academy of Neurology.“We saw faster decline in thinking skills and changes in the brain that suggest chronic insomnia could be an early warning sign or even a contributor to future cognitive problems,” Dr. Diego Z. Carvalho, of the Mayo Clinic, said in a statement.The findings could help doctors and patients better respond to the degenerative brain disorder, which affects thinking and memory. More than 6 million Americans are living with dementia and 12 percent suffer from chronic insomnia, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.Chronic insomnia could lead to an additional 3.5 years of brain aging, researchers say (Getty Images/iStock)Chronic insomnia can also lead to depression and anxiety, and type 2 diabetes. Not getting enough sleep is common in people with Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia, resulted in more than 119,000 deaths last year. Insomnia is usually stress related, according to the Mayo Clinic, but it occurs more often in women, people who drink alcohol, and in those over the age of 60.The researchers highlighted another risk factor, finding that people who carry a gene linked to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease showed steeper declines in memory and thinking skills. Known as the APOE ε4 gene, it’s present in as many as 15 percent of people.They examined the health of 2,750 older adults over the course of more than five years. At the start of the study they were cognitively healthy, and 16 percent had chronic insomnia.Of those with chronic insomnia, 14 percent developed dementia or mild cognitive impairment, and brain scans revealed people who reported getting less sleep than usual at the start of the study had higher levels of white matter hyperintensities, or areas of brain tissue that were damaged by arteries in the heart working improperly. They also had more toxic proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease, which are known as amyloid plaques. The effect was similar to people with the APOE ε4 gene.The researchers say their findings do not prove chronic insomnia caused dementia and there are many other factors that have been linked to dementia, including nutrition, fitness, alcohol and drug use, genetics, age, and medical history.But, Carvalho said their results suggest insomnia could affect the brain in different ways. “This reinforces the importance of treating chronic insomnia — not just to improve sleep quality but potentially to protect brain health as we age,” he said.Insomnia can be treated through various changes in lifestyle and habits, including mental healthcare, good sleep hygiene, and medications, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
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This is how insomnia could be aging your brain
