Nightly sleep of five hours, less, may increase risk of dementia, death among older adults

Newswise — BOSTON — Sleep and health are inextricably connected. New research from investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital explores the connection between sleep disturbances and deficiencies among older adults and risk of dementia and death, finding that risk of dementia was double among participants who reported getting less than five hours of sleep compared to those who reported 7-8 hours of sleep per night. The team also found associations between sleep disturbance and sleep deficiency with overall risk of death. Results are published in Aging.

“Our findings illuminate a connection between sleep deficiency and risk of dementia and confirm the importance of efforts to help older individuals obtain sufficient sleep each night,” said lead author, Rebecca Robbins, PhD, of the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders.

To investigate the connection between…

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