When needing to nap more is a sign you may develop dementia
A mid-day snooze isn’t always as harmless as it might seem.
For some, persistent daytime drowsiness can be more than just a function of getting older — it could be a warning sign of dementia.
A new study has pinpointed when sleepiness during the day is a clue that you’re headed for mental decline.
Researchers analyzed the data of 733 women in their 80s and found that those who became increasingly tired during the day throughout the study’s five-year period were twice as likely to develop dementia.
“Sleep is essential for cognitive health, as it allows the brain to rest and rejuvenate, enhancing our ability to think clearly and remember information,” lead author Yue Leng, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of California in San Francisco, said in a press release.
“However, little is known about how changes in sleep and cognition are connected over time and how these changes relate to dementia risk in the later decades of life.
“Our study found that sleep problems may be intertwined with cognitive aging and may serve as an early marker or risk factor for dementia in women in their 80s.”
Before you get too concerned — generally speaking, nodding off earlier as you hit your twilight years is normal.
“As we get older, our circadian rhythm shifts in what’s called a ‘phase advance,’ meaning we naturally feel sleepy earlier,” Dr. Dylan Petkus, a sleep specialist and founder of Optimal Circadian Health in Florida, previously told The Post.
“It’s not just preference. Your body’s clock is changing,” he added.
The authors of the study note that the findings do not prove that daytime drowsiness causes dementia — only that there is a link between the two.
“We observed that sleeping, napping and circadian rhythms can change dramatically over only five years for women in their 80s,” Leng said.
“This highlights the need for future studies to look at all aspects of daily sleep patterns to better understand how changes in these patterns over time can be linked to dementia risk.”
That being said, the findings do align with previous research, such as a 2022 study that suggests seniors who nap more than an hour daily have a 40% higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease compared to those who nap less than an hour.
And a 2019 study found that individuals in their 70s who were excessively sleepy during the day were more likely to develop motoric cognitive risk syndrome — a pre-dementia condition.
Experts believe the association between napping and dementia may be due to the disease targeting parts of the brain that keep us awake and alert during the day.
The study was published on March 19 in the journal Neurology.
