Sleeping less than five hours can be fatal

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Sleep and health are inextricably linked. A new study by scientists at Brigham and Women's Clinic examined the relationship between sleep disturbances and deficits in older adults and the risk of dementia and death.

The risk of dementia was found to be twice as high among participants who reported getting enough sleep less than five hours a night, compared to those who slept 7-8 hours.

The team also found an association between sleep disturbance and lack of sleep with the overall risk of death.

“ Our results shed light on the link between sleep deprivation and the risk of dementia and confirm the importance of efforts to help older people get enough sleep,” says lead author Dr. Rebecca Robbins from the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders.

Overall, the researchers found a strong relationship between several disturbance variables and sleep deficits and dementia that occurs over time.

Getting to sleep half an hour or longer was associated with a 45 percent increased risk dementia Regular difficulty staying awake, daytime sleepiness, reporting poor sleep quality, and sleeping less than five hours were also associated with an increased risk of death.