Neurology

Increasing sleepiness linked to higher dementia risk in older women

March 21, 2025

Monitoring changes in 24-hour sleep-wake activity, particularly increasing sleepiness, may help identify oldest old women at higher risk for dementia.

Study design: This longitudinal study followed 733 cognitively unimpaired women (mean age, 82.5 years) from the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures, who completed wrist actigraphy at baseline and follow-up (median, 5 years). Cognitive status was evaluated at follow-up using a neuropsychological battery. Hierarchical clustering on principal components was used to identify sleep-wake change profiles based on changes in nighttime sleep, napping, and circadian rest-activity rhythms.

Results: A total of 22.4% of participants developed mild cognitive impairment and 12.7% developed dementia. Three sleep-wake change profiles were identified: stable sleep (SS), declining nighttime sleep, and increasing sleepiness (IS). Women with IS had double the risk of dementia (odds ratio, 2.21) compared with those with SS. Individual parameters such as sleep efficiency, wake after sleep onset, nap duration, and nap frequency were also associated with dementia risk.

Source:

Milton S, et al. (2025, April 22). Neurology. Five-Year Changes in 24-Hour Sleep-Wake Activity and Dementia Risk in Oldest Old Women. Neurology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40106755/