If you’re suffering from chronic insomnia, you might experience a faster decline in memory and thinking skills compared to those who sleep well. A new research has found that chronic insomnia might speed up brain ageing.
According to the study published earlier this week in the journal Neurology, researchers revealed that people with chronic insomnia, or those who have trouble sleeping at least three nights per week for three months or more, are 40% more likely to develop dementia or mild cognitive problems than people who sleep normally. The study also reveals that insomnia doesn’t just affect how you feel the next day—it may also impact your brain health over time, which can translate to an additional 3.5 years of brain aging.
In a statement made by Dr Diego Carvalho, a Mayo Clinic neurologist and co-author of the study, during an interview with the American Academy of Neurology, he said that “The findings add to a growing body of evidence that sleep isn’t just about rest – it’s also about brain resilience.”
To conduct this study, Dr Carvalho’s team tracked 2,750 older Americans who were cognitively healthy over an average of nearly six years. Before proceeding, the participants underwent regular memory and thinking tests, and some had brain scans. Based on the data collected, 14% of people with insomnia developed dementia or mild cognitive impairment, compared with 10% of those without insomnia. The findings also revealed that people with chronic insomnia saw sharper declines on thinking tests over the years.
Dr Carvalho further stated that he and his team saw a faster decline in thinking skills and changes in the brain of the participants that suggested chronic insomnia could be an early warning sign or even a contributor to future cognitive problems. Several factors were put in place to confirm the findings, including age, high blood pressure, sleep apnoea, and the use of sleep medications.
Although the study did not prove that insomnia causes brain health issues, it’s just that the two are related. Meanwhile, more studies will be required to further understand exactly why they seem to be linked.
The study also found that chronic insomnia seems to affect some people’s brain health more than others. Participants who claimed to get less sleep than usual had more white matter hyperintensities (potentially damaged brain tissue from small vessel disease) and amyloid plaques (a protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease). According to the study, their amyloid plaque levels were similar to those typically seen in people who carry the APOE4 gene variant, which raises the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
This study is the latest to find a link between sleep and brain health. It reinforces the importance of treating chronic insomnia – not just to improve sleep quality but potentially to protect brain health as we age.
