Do sleeping pills affect the development of dementia?

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A new study shows that sleeping pills increase the risk of dementia in white people. Perhaps the answer lies in what type of medicine and how much of it a person takes.

The study involved about 3,000 elderly people without dementia living outside nursing homes. They were observed for an average of nine years. Their average age was 74 years – 42% were black and 58% white.

During the study, 20% of the participants developed dementia. White participants who “often” or “almost always” took sleeping pills were 79% more likely to develop dementia than those who “never” or “rarely” used them. Among black participants, those who took them frequently were about as likely to develop dementia as those who abstained or rarely used the drugs.

“The differences may be related to socio- economic status… It is also possible that some sleep medications were associated with a higher risk of developing dementia than others,” says first author Yue Leng.