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Does short sleep cause dementia?

  • Writer: Sophie Bostock, PhD
    Sophie Bostock, PhD
  • Apr 28, 2021
  • 1 min read

New research published last week highlighted that 50 year olds sleeping for fewer than 7 hours each night were at 30% increased risk of dementia.


You can either read the full study, by Sabia and colleagues, here,

or you can watch the video to find out how scary this really is.



There were lots of great things about this study which I didn't mention here - including the fact that the main findings were reinforced by a smaller group of participants who wore wearables to measure their sleep. Objectively measured shorter sleep (not long sleep) was also associated with increased odds of dementia. The researchers also ruled out the effects of mental health problems, and other potential confounders.


There is little doubt that sleep helps to protects your brain's performance - not only on a day to day basis, by strengthening memories and creativity, but also by protecting against longer term decline. We don't yet understand all the mechanisms, but we do know that addressing sleep problems is a crucial step for health and wellbeing.


7 Comments


sughra noor
sughra noor
Dec 11, 2025

Really informative post — I liked how you explained the relationship between sleep duration and brain health in a clear and science‑based way. It’s always helpful when a topic with so many misconceptions is broken down into digestible insights backed by research. I recently came across a similar discussion on an https://www.inspereza.com/ review blog that also offered an interesting perspective on sleep’s long‑term effects. Great work!

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HOW CAN I HELP?

Every few weeks I tackle a juicy sleep question in videos or blog posts. Sign up for occasional updates, or to get your question answered.

If you'd like more information about speaking, coaching, or consulting, please get in touch! You can reach Sophie at sophie@thesleepscientist.com.

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© 2024 Sophie Bostock Version 3.0.

Based in Hampshire, United Kingdom

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