Over-Sleeping and Afternoon Naps Hike Alzheimer’s Risk

Rip Van Winkle and other classic sleepers like him might be perfect candidates to develop Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research indicating that people who sleep more than eight hours a night or take afternoon naps are at a higher risk of Alzheimer’s. In fact, over-sleeping nearly doubles the risk of the most common type of dementia.

Spanish researchers from University Hospital in Madrid say they don’t know why sleeping increases Alzheimer’s risk, but they believe that doctors may be able to predict the onset of Alzheimer’s if they would track the sleeping habits of their patients.The research team reached its conclusions after analyzing data collected from 3,286 men and women age 65 and older, who were tracked for more than three years. Each participant was interviewed about their health, lifestyle and sleeping hours in a typical day.

During the study, 140 study participants developed Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, the Spanish team found.

Upon further data analysis, they found that those who averaged more than eight or nine hours of sleep daily were twice as likely to develop dementia.

“We found a significant association between long sleep duration and dementia,” the team reported. “Long sleep may be an early symptom of dementia, or could lead to an increased risk of it.”