These Sleep Habits Might Make Your Brain Age Faster

You may already know that getting too little sleep, especially in midlife, has been associated with a higher risk of developing dementia. 

Additionally, sleeping for longer than normal for the rest of your life has been linked to an increased risk of dementia 10 years ahead of diagnosis. 

And now, it seems that sleep quality has been correlated to a higher risk of premature “brain ageing”. 

According to a 2024 study published in the journal Neurology, people who self-reported certain sleep issues had brains which appeared 2.6 years older than their actual age.

What did the study find?

Researchers studied almost 600 participants with a mean age of 40.

They were asked to fill in a questionnaire at the start of the study, and then again five years after that. Those questionnaires included questions regarding their sleep quality and duration. 

A decade after the second questionnaire (and 15 years after the study started), participants were given brain scans. 

The scientists found that people who said they had experienced “moderate” sleep difficulties (22% of participants) had brains that appeared, on average, 1.6 years older than those with no sleep issues. 

Meanwhile, the 8% of people studied who self-reported “severe” trouble sleeping had a mean brain age 2.6 years older than their real age.

70% of participants had a “low” sleep trouble score, meaning they only suffered from 0-1 poor sleep characteristics. 

Bad sleep quality, difficulty falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, and waking up too early in the morning were most associated with brain ageing, especially if those issues persisted over five years. 

The study’s author, Dr Clémence Cavaillès, said in a press release: “Sleep problems have been linked in previous research to poor thinking and memory skills later in life, putting people at higher risk for dementia.” 

“Our study which used brain scans to determine participants’ brain age, suggests that poor sleep is linked to nearly three years of additional brain ageing as early as middle age.”

So, does that mean I’m doomed to worse brain health if I sleep poorly?

This study only found a link, not a cause.

Still, the benefits of good sleep are well-documented, and research into brain health and sleep shows some pretty consistent links between a good night’s kip and healthier minds.

The 2024 study’s author, Dr Kristine Yaffe, shared via press release: “Our findings highlight the importance of addressing sleep problems earlier in life to preserve brain health, including maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, exercising, avoiding caffeine and alcohol before going to bed and using relaxation techniques.

“Future research should focus on finding new ways to improve sleep quality and investigating the long-term impact of sleep on brain health in younger people.”