Alzheimer’s Society comment on longer sleep duration being associated with an increased risk of dementia

The study of more than 3,000 people in Spain investigated the correlation between sleep patterns and the development of dementia over a three year period. While sleeping longer than normal resulted in an increased association, there was no direct link found between sleeping less than normal (six hours or less in 24 hours) and developing dementia.

Alzheimer's Society comment:

'This report suggests that sleeping longer than normal and feeling sleepy during the day is a sign of developing dementia.  There is no apparent physiological link and it is unlikely that sleeping more than normal is a direct risk factor for dementia. It maybe that this is just a statistical coincidence or perhaps that sleeping is an early sign of a yet undiagnosed condition.

As currently only a third of people with dementia ever receive a formal diagnosis, more research is now needed to investigate these results although research is drastically underfunded. One million people will develop dementia in the next 10 years. We need to act now.'

Dr Susanne Sorensen
Head of Research
Alzheimer's Society