Scientists at National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei found that sleeping more on weekends can reduce the risk of cognitive decline by 74%.
Oku.AzThe results of the study were published in the journal “Sleep and Breathing.”
Researchers followed 215 men and women over the age of 65 for two years to study the relationship between sleep and the risk of cognitive decline. Participants kept sleep diaries and used accelerometers (devices that track the movement of an object in space) to accurately measure sleep duration.
The analysis showed that almost half of the volunteers tried to compensate for lack of sleep over the weekend, reducing the risk of dementia by 74%.
Scientists still can’t explain exactly how long sleep protects the brain from disease, but they believe that extra rest may help repair neural connections and reduce inflammation associated with cognitive decline.
