Do you like sleeping a lot and getting up late? You might want to stop doing that as a recent study has revealed that people who sleep more than 9 hours have higher chances of getting dementia.
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Published in the Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, researchers have discovered that people who slept for nine hours or more each night have revealed a considerable decline in linguistic skills and memory, which are very prominent markers for dementia.
The researchers from the University of Miami Miller School studied 5,247 Hispanics over seven years. The participants of this study aged between 45 and 75. They were a part of the nationwide Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos.
The study involved Latinos from various backgrounds in Chicago, Miami, San Diego and the Bronx in New York City.
Study participants were given a neurocognitive test at the beginning and the end of the study. Scientists conducting the study analysed the participant's attention, memory, language, reaction time and perception to deduce the brain's health.
Participants were also asked to answer weekly questionnaires about their sleeping habits over the past week, including questions like the time they go to bed, the time they wake up and if they take any siestas.
As per the study, fifteen per cent of participants slept for an average of nine hours each night. As the seven years ended, participants discovered that the overall performance of their brain dropped drastically. Their learning skills went down by 22 per cent, word fluency plummeted by 20 percent and memory by 13 percent.?
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The scientists also discovered that excess sleep was linked to lesions in the brain known as white matter hyperintensities. They usually look like white spots on an MRI scan and spike risk of cognitive decline, dementia and a stroke. Lesions are known to occur due to decreased blood flow to the brain.
As per the study, people sleeping less than six hours were also at risk. The perfect duration of sleep is seven to eight hours.
Dr Ramos, a neurologist and sleep expert at the University of Miami, said, "Insomnia, and prolonged sleep duration appear to be linked to a decline in neurocognitive functioning that can precede the onset of Alzheimer's disease or other dementias. We observed that prolonged periods of sleep and chronic insomnia symptoms led to declines in memory, executive function and processing speed. Those measures can precede the development of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease."
He further added, "We may also be able to identify at-risk patients who may benefit from early intervention to prevent or reduce the risk of dementia."