People have long thought that insomnia was nothing more than "just trouble sleeping," but new research suggests that it may be much worse than that. A large study found that people who have chronic insomnia are up to 40% more likely to develop dementia or mild cognitive impairment. This means that people who have chronic insomnia age their brains more quickly than by more than three years.
The results, which were published in Neurology, make it even more important to treat insomnia as both a sleep disorder and a possible long-term brain health risk. According to experts, the study shows that people who don't get enough sleep should no longer ignore the problem, especially older adults, as per a report by Medical News Today.
The study looked at 2,750 adults, with an average age of 70. At the start, all of them were mentally healthy. About sixteen percent of the people who took part had chronic insomnia, which means they had trouble sleeping at least three nights a week for more than three months.
ALSO READ: Charlie Kirk's shocking remarks over women and their career goals days before his death- Here's what he said
After almost six years, the participants were asked to report on how they slept, take tests of their memory and thinking, and have brain scans. They looked for white matter hyperintensities (small changes in the brain's blood vessels) and beta-amyloid plaques (a sign of Alzheimer's disease), as per a report by Medical News Today.
Dr. Diego Z. Carvalho, lead author, from the Mayo Clinic said the goal was to find the pathways that connect insomnia and memory loss. "We focused on studying the impact of insomnia on different markers of brain health to understand how insomnia may be related to cognitive decline." "Is it only because of changes in our white matter caused by Alzheimer's disease, like amyloid, or also because of cerebrovascular pathways?" he asked.
By the end of the study, researchers found that people who had chronic insomnia were 40% more likely to get mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia than people who did not have chronic insomnia.
They said that the higher risk was about the same as getting older by 3.5 years or having two cardiometabolic conditions, like diabetes and high blood pressure. Carvalho said, “This (is) a significant finding because (it will) bring insomnia to the spotlight of potential modifiable risk factors. The size of this association is significant from a public health perspective, particularly for a disorder that is so prevalent in older adults," as per a report by Medical News Today.
It was discovered that people who slept less had more amyloid plaques and white matter hyperintensities in their brains. Both of these are signs of cognitive decline.
Carvalho said, “This helps to understand how insomnia may be related to cognitive decline."
“We found that insomnia with reduced sleep was not only associated with Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers like amyloid, but also with poorer cerebrovascular health with greater evidence for small vessel disease as shown by white matter hyperintensities. This is relevant because it supports that insomnia with reduced sleep may be related to two independent mechanisms that are known to contribute to cognitive decline," Carvalho said.
ALSO READ: New study links heart attacks to bacterial infections – here's what doctors are warning
He also said that insomnia might be changing the brain in two separate ways, one linked to Alzheimer's disease and the other to damage to the blood vessels in the brain, as per a report by Medical News Today.
Even though a lot of people have insomnia, it is still not well known, reported, or treated. Carvalho said that older people often decide that their symptoms are just a normal part of getting older. "Older patients often feel that it is normal to sleep poorly. Although there are indeed age-related changes that affect sleep quality, chronic insomnia goes much beyond that and cannot be equated to age-related changes," he said.
According to him, sleep tests should be a normal part of medical exams. This is especially important for older people who might not talk about their sleep problems, as per a report by Medical News Today.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-I) is thought to be the best way to treat insomnia. It would make a big difference, according to Carvalho, if more people could get CBT-I in primary care settings and through online platforms and apps. "I hope that cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, which is the most common type of therapy for insomnia, could be used in primary care settings all over the country," he said.
Dr. Christopher Allen, a pediatric neurologist and board-certified specialist in sleep medicine, said the results are important and make sense from a medical point of view. "“This study’s signal touches multiple pathways: cognition, amyloid biology, and cerebrovascular integrity,” he continued. “Understanding those links helps us personalize care by screening for comorbid sleep apnea, mood symptoms, and cardiometabolic risk. These treatments actually consolidate sleep. The public-health upside is huge because improving sleep is a lever patients can pull," he said.
He made it clear that insomnia isn't just being tired. He said, "Long-term insomnia is more than just 'feeling tired.' It can show changes in your attention, memory, and processing speed over time."
Doctor Megan Glenn, a clinical neuropsychologist, agreed. She said that she often sees older people who have trouble sleeping and are worried about losing their memories. "It's good news that this study found a link between not getting enough sleep and not only cognitive symptoms but also changes in the brain that can be seen and a higher risk of future decline," she said, as per a report by Medical News Today.
Experts say that many of the risk factors that can lead to dementia can be changed, even though the risks have been building up for decades. Glenn said that people can really benefit from getting help with their hearing, blood pressure, sleep, and physical activity. "Studies show that if these things are fixed, about 45% of dementia cases could be delayed or stopped," she said.
The study shows that insomnia is one of these risks that can be changed. People may be able to lower their risk of both Alzheimer's disease and problems with their blood vessels in the brain by getting better sleep.
Experts say that more research is needed, especially ones that use objective sleep tracking and include a wider range of people. They also want to know if treating insomnia with behavioral therapies or medicine can directly make things better for cognitive functioning.
"If persistent insomnia is a marker or even a modest contributor to brain vulnerability, then identifying and treating it becomes part of brain-health prevention, not just symptom relief," Allen said in a nutshell.
Insomnia is more than just having a hard time sleeping. This study shows that having chronic insomnia can speed up brain aging, increase the risk of dementia by 40%, and cause changes in the brain that are bad. Nearly one in six people around the world suffer from insomnia, so these results make sleep an even more important part of maintaining brain health.
DISCLAIMER: This article is not a medical advice. It is only meant to provide general information or to teach. This is not a replacement for professional help, so please talk to your doctor.
What is long-term insomnia?
It happens when someone has trouble sleeping at least three nights a week for more than three months.
How much does long-term insomnia raise the risk of dementia?
Add Now!
By about 40%, which is the same as adding 3.5 years to your brain's age.
The results, which were published in Neurology, make it even more important to treat insomnia as both a sleep disorder and a possible long-term brain health risk. According to experts, the study shows that people who don't get enough sleep should no longer ignore the problem, especially older adults, as per a report by Medical News Today.
How did the study on dementia and insomnia get done?
The study looked at 2,750 adults, with an average age of 70. At the start, all of them were mentally healthy. About sixteen percent of the people who took part had chronic insomnia, which means they had trouble sleeping at least three nights a week for more than three months.
ALSO READ: Charlie Kirk's shocking remarks over women and their career goals days before his death- Here's what he said
After almost six years, the participants were asked to report on how they slept, take tests of their memory and thinking, and have brain scans. They looked for white matter hyperintensities (small changes in the brain's blood vessels) and beta-amyloid plaques (a sign of Alzheimer's disease), as per a report by Medical News Today.
Dr. Diego Z. Carvalho, lead author, from the Mayo Clinic said the goal was to find the pathways that connect insomnia and memory loss. "We focused on studying the impact of insomnia on different markers of brain health to understand how insomnia may be related to cognitive decline." "Is it only because of changes in our white matter caused by Alzheimer's disease, like amyloid, or also because of cerebrovascular pathways?" he asked.
How much more likely is it that you will get dementia?
By the end of the study, researchers found that people who had chronic insomnia were 40% more likely to get mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia than people who did not have chronic insomnia.
They said that the higher risk was about the same as getting older by 3.5 years or having two cardiometabolic conditions, like diabetes and high blood pressure. Carvalho said, “This (is) a significant finding because (it will) bring insomnia to the spotlight of potential modifiable risk factors. The size of this association is significant from a public health perspective, particularly for a disorder that is so prevalent in older adults," as per a report by Medical News Today.
What changes in the brain are linked to not getting enough sleep?
It was discovered that people who slept less had more amyloid plaques and white matter hyperintensities in their brains. Both of these are signs of cognitive decline.
Carvalho said, “This helps to understand how insomnia may be related to cognitive decline."
“We found that insomnia with reduced sleep was not only associated with Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers like amyloid, but also with poorer cerebrovascular health with greater evidence for small vessel disease as shown by white matter hyperintensities. This is relevant because it supports that insomnia with reduced sleep may be related to two independent mechanisms that are known to contribute to cognitive decline," Carvalho said.
ALSO READ: New study links heart attacks to bacterial infections – here's what doctors are warning
He also said that insomnia might be changing the brain in two separate ways, one linked to Alzheimer's disease and the other to damage to the blood vessels in the brain, as per a report by Medical News Today.
Why does insomnia get ignored so much?
Even though a lot of people have insomnia, it is still not well known, reported, or treated. Carvalho said that older people often decide that their symptoms are just a normal part of getting older. "Older patients often feel that it is normal to sleep poorly. Although there are indeed age-related changes that affect sleep quality, chronic insomnia goes much beyond that and cannot be equated to age-related changes," he said.
According to him, sleep tests should be a normal part of medical exams. This is especially important for older people who might not talk about their sleep problems, as per a report by Medical News Today.
What kinds of treatments can help with long-term insomnia?
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-I) is thought to be the best way to treat insomnia. It would make a big difference, according to Carvalho, if more people could get CBT-I in primary care settings and through online platforms and apps. "I hope that cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, which is the most common type of therapy for insomnia, could be used in primary care settings all over the country," he said.
In what way do experts see these results?
Dr. Christopher Allen, a pediatric neurologist and board-certified specialist in sleep medicine, said the results are important and make sense from a medical point of view. "“This study’s signal touches multiple pathways: cognition, amyloid biology, and cerebrovascular integrity,” he continued. “Understanding those links helps us personalize care by screening for comorbid sleep apnea, mood symptoms, and cardiometabolic risk. These treatments actually consolidate sleep. The public-health upside is huge because improving sleep is a lever patients can pull," he said.
He made it clear that insomnia isn't just being tired. He said, "Long-term insomnia is more than just 'feeling tired.' It can show changes in your attention, memory, and processing speed over time."
Doctor Megan Glenn, a clinical neuropsychologist, agreed. She said that she often sees older people who have trouble sleeping and are worried about losing their memories. "It's good news that this study found a link between not getting enough sleep and not only cognitive symptoms but also changes in the brain that can be seen and a higher risk of future decline," she said, as per a report by Medical News Today.
What does this mean for the health of everyone?
Experts say that many of the risk factors that can lead to dementia can be changed, even though the risks have been building up for decades. Glenn said that people can really benefit from getting help with their hearing, blood pressure, sleep, and physical activity. "Studies show that if these things are fixed, about 45% of dementia cases could be delayed or stopped," she said.
The study shows that insomnia is one of these risks that can be changed. People may be able to lower their risk of both Alzheimer's disease and problems with their blood vessels in the brain by getting better sleep.
What are the next steps for the study?
Experts say that more research is needed, especially ones that use objective sleep tracking and include a wider range of people. They also want to know if treating insomnia with behavioral therapies or medicine can directly make things better for cognitive functioning.
"If persistent insomnia is a marker or even a modest contributor to brain vulnerability, then identifying and treating it becomes part of brain-health prevention, not just symptom relief," Allen said in a nutshell.
Insomnia is more than just having a hard time sleeping. This study shows that having chronic insomnia can speed up brain aging, increase the risk of dementia by 40%, and cause changes in the brain that are bad. Nearly one in six people around the world suffer from insomnia, so these results make sleep an even more important part of maintaining brain health.
DISCLAIMER: This article is not a medical advice. It is only meant to provide general information or to teach. This is not a replacement for professional help, so please talk to your doctor.
FAQs
What is long-term insomnia?
It happens when someone has trouble sleeping at least three nights a week for more than three months.
How much does long-term insomnia raise the risk of dementia?
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