China has the largest number in the world of people with dementia, a neurodegenerative disorder, with at least 6% of the elderly, or one in 20 people aged 60 and over living with dementia.
According to “Medical News Today,” citing the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, a recent study of the Chinese elderly population in rural China linked between prolonged and bedtime sleep and an increased risk of dementia.
The study also found that even in those who did not develop dementia during the study period, there was still a chance they would have some degree of cognitive decline associated with prolonged sleep and early bedtime. But the new-of-its-kind finding was evident only in older people aged 60 to 74, and particularly in men.
Sleep and dementia risks
Sleep is a complex biological process. Aging-related changes in sleep timing and quality are associated with cognitive impairments, said Dr Verna Porter, neurologist and director of the division of dementia, Alzheimer’s and neurocognitive disorders at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California, which was not involved in the ongoing research [تقوم] Studies evaluating non-white (Caucasian) populations, mostly city dwellers in North America or Western Europe, “noting that the new Chinese study focused on” evaluating rural adults from China, including their practices unique social, economic, cultural and educational “.
Rural dementia
Older people in rural China tend to sleep and wake earlier and generally have lower sleep quality than people in urban areas. Research indicates that dementia occurs more often in rural areas of the country than in developed areas.
The purpose of the study, which was initiated in 2014 by scientists from several Chinese institutions and research centers and included seniors in rural areas of Western Shandong Province, was to “examine associations of self-reported sleep characteristics (e.g. , time spent in bed). times, duration and quality of sleep) and between ELS and EDS with episodic dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline, taking into account potential interactions [نتيجة للاختلافات في] Demographic traits and APOE genotype “.
The main risks
The results revealed that the risk of developing dementia was 69% higher for individuals who slept more than 8 hours, compared with 7-8 hours. The risk also doubled for those who went to bed before 9pm, compared to 10pm or later.
the “head of the family”.
The study also found that there was an association between sleeping early or late and with a greater or lesser decrease in the degree of cognitive decline among men but not in women.
Dr. Porter concluded that the possible reasons for the increased risk of cognitive decline in men are due to “cultural expectations” [فيما يتعلق بـ] Traditional gender roles, and their impact on job choice and social and economic participation, which can affect men differently in rural China due to their frequent primary role, i.e. man is the “breadwinner” and his traditional participation in work is more physical demanding and potentially more strenuous. “
bridge the gap
The researchers hope that their findings could “partially bridge the knowledge gap” for people of low socioeconomic status, noting that their findings should encourage monitoring of older people who sleep for long periods and go to bed early, especially elderly people (60 years. -74) and men ”, while future studies could look for ways to reduce sleep and adjust programs that could reduce the risk of dementia and cognitive decline.
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