Men Who Don't Get Enough Rest At Increased Risk Of Alzheimer's Disease

A proper night's rest has been linked to essential health and well-being in both men and women. Yet recent findings published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia reveal that for older men in particular, inadequate rest can increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease--the most common form of dementia.

For the study, Swedish researchers at Uppsala University studied how elderly men with self-reported sleep disturbances were significantly more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than those without self-reported sleep disturbances.

The study involved 1,000 men who were followed from 1970 to 2010. All partipants were 50 years old at the start of the study.

"We demonstrate that men with self-reported sleep disturbances run a 1.5-fold higher risk to develop Alzheimer's disease than those without reports of sleep disturbances during a 40-year follow-up period. The later the self-reported sleep disturbance was found the higher the risk was for developing Alzheimer's disease. These findings suggest that strategies aimed at improving sleep quality in late life may help reduce the risk to develop Alzheimer's disease," said lead study author Christian Benedict, sleep researcher at Uppsala University, in a news release.

The study revealed that self-reported sleep disturbances increased the risk of Alzheimer's disease during the 40-year follow-up period. Researchers found that this was especially true when self-reporting sleep disturbances that occurred later lin life, suggesting that the quality of sleep could support brain health in men.

"Importantly, there are several lifestyle factors, such as exercise, that can influence your brain's health. Thus, it must be borne in mind that a multifaceted lifestyle approach comprising good sleep habits is essential for maintaining brain health as you age," Benedict concluded.