Too Much Sleep?

According to an article published by Reuters, older people that get more than eight hours of sleep per night may just be at a higher risk for dementia. The study, conducted by Spanish researchers, showed that of the 3,300 patients tested, the ones that slept over nine hours were more likely to show the signs of dementia. The patients tested were all over 65 years old and showed a 5 percent chance to exhibit the signs of early dementia. Conversely, the patients that got less than five hours of sleep showed almost the same percentage of dementia concerns.




As a person that has short term memory “issues” and a mother with Alzheimer’s I was intrigued by this article. I was holding my breath until I saw what defined the term “older patients” in the article, since I am 41 and can sometimes get lumped into the “older” category. Imagine my relief when I saw that the study was of patients over 65.

The study itself is interesting and in my opinion doesn’t really suggest too much that sleep is the cause of these patient’s problems. I think that the author of this story wanted a sensational story and took an ordinary finding and slanted it to fit her needs. There were several things that factored into the study that could have a much bigger effect on the findings. For example: it is suggested that perhaps sleeping longer is itself a symptom of early dementia. Or perhaps some of the medical conditions that lead to dementia also cause excess sleep. And finally, sleep apnea was mentioned as causing symptoms such as impaired memory and the need for excess hours in bed.

I find it frustrating when someone writes or reports a story with a sensational headline or opening only to get our attention and then change the story. But then again, would I have read it otherwise?