In Case You Haven't Heard…

Abstract

A new study finds older adults who have significant difficulty falling asleep and who experience frequent night awakenings are at high risk for developing dementia or dying early from any cause, reported CNN Health June 13. “These results contribute to existing knowledge that sleep plays a very important role, each and every night, for reducing our longer‐term risk for neural cognitive decline and all‐cause mortality,” said study author Rebecca Robbins, an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School who specializes in sleep research. The connection between sleep, dementia and early death from any cause is especially worrisome, experts say, due to the sleep habits of Americans and people around the world. According to the World Sleep Society, sleep deprivation is threatening the health of up to 45% of the world's population. Depending on our age, we are supposed to get between seven and 10 hours of sleep each night. But one in three Americans don't get enough sleep, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the CDC, disrupted sleep is associated with a higher risk of conditions including diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular disease — and dementia.