Your sleep and activity patterns may reveal hidden brain health risk, study suggests

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The timing of your sleep patterns could be linked to increaseddementia risk, according to a new study.

Each person’scircadian rhythm, often defined as the body’s internal 24-hour clock, keeps the body operating on a healthy pattern of sleeping and waking.It also affects other systems in your body, according to Cleveland Clinic.

While most people’s circadian rhythms are automatically regulated, things like light levels can throw them off balance.

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People with strong circadian rhythms are usually able to stick to regular times forsleeping and activity, even with schedule or season changes, experts say.

With a weaker circadian rhythm, light and schedule changes are more likely to disrupt the body clock, leading to shifts in sleep and activity patterns.

Man sleeping peacefully in bed, resting on his side under a gray blanket in a softly lit bedroom

Older adults with weaker daily activity rhythms were more likely to develop dementia over the following years.(iStock)

The new study, published in the journal Neurology, sought to explore whether these disruptions play a role in dementia risk amongolder adults.

Researchers monitored more than 2,000 people for an average of 12 days to track their rest and rhythm activities.

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“A novel aspect of our study is that we derived circadian rhythms from a chest-worn ECG patch that is commonly used clinically,” lead study author Wendy Wang, Ph.D., of the Peter O’Donnell Jr.

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The participants’ average age was 79, and none had dementia at the time of the study.They were divided into three groups based on the strength of their circadian rhythms.

In the group with the strongest rhythms, 31 of 728 people developed dementia, compared to 106 of 727 people in the group with the weakest rhythms.

Chest-worn ECG patches monitored patients’ circadian rhythm in the new study.(iStock)

After adjusting for factors such as age, blood pressure and heart disease, researchers found that people in the weakest rhythm group had nearly 2.5 times therisk of dementia.

The researchers identified a possible “U-shaped” association between the stability of the sleep-wake cycle and dementia, noting that people with consistently low activity levels may have less stable circadian rhythms.

The study did have some limitations.Data onsleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea or sleep-disordered breathing, were not available.Wang noted that more research is needed to understand the possible link.

With a weaker circadian rhythm, light and schedule changes are more likely to disrupt the body clock, leading to shifts in sleep and activity patterns.(iStock)

The researcher also recommended that people maintain astrong circadian rhythmthat is “well-aligned” with the 24-hour day.

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“People with strong circadian rhythms often follow regular sleep and activity times,” she said.

“However, it’s important to note that our research does not prove that irregular circadian rhythms cause dementia, only that an association was observed.”

Khloe Quill is a

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