Oversleeping might Be a Behavior Indicative of Dementia, New Study Says

A new study suggests that oversleeping, especially in the morning, might be considered a symptom of dementia in adults over 60. Although most of them choose to sleep a few more hours in the morning because they’ve earned a right to do so, researchers believe that this might be a sign that they might develop a form of dementia, like Alzheimer’s Disease in the following decade. Study’s results point out that seniors who decide to oversleep are twice more likely to be diagnosed with dementia.

As the battle against Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia wages on, a team of researchers from the Boston University believes that they’ve identified a new early-warning sign. According to this new study, patients over 60 who like nothing better than to spend a couple of extra minutes under the blanket each morning are two times more likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease or other forms of dementia in the following decade.

More specifically, the team of neurologists from the prestigious research institute stated that individuals over the age of 60 who tend to sleep for more than nine hours are more prone to be diagnosed with dementia-type neurological damages compared to those who get out of bed early in the morning.

The study results pointed out that more than seven percent of the participants, with ages over 65, have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease at the end of the study. So, what is there to be?

Surely, the most obvious solution is to wake up earlier in the morning rather than sleep in. However likely the solution may seem, the researchers said that oversleeping is a symptom of the disease, not the result of one’s will.

But, there’s a bit of good news amidst all the gloom. During their study, the researchers have observed that patients who had a college degree, an M.A or even a Ph.D. were less likely to oversleep and to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease or other forms of dementia compared to those who either had a high school diploma or none.

After crunching the numbers, the scientists have observed that those who oversleep are twice as likely to be diagnosed with the condition. Subsequently, after factoring in education, those with a high school diploma or no form of higher education were six times more likely to be diagnosed with the condition by the time they reach 60.

Image source: Flickr