Published: 03:55 BST, 13 August 2026 | Updated: 03:55 BST, 13 August 2026<\/p>\n
Subtle shifts in how you sleep could be an early indicator of your dementia risk, a study suggests.<\/p>\n
Everyone has micro awakenings while they sleep, very short periods – usually just a few seconds – when the brain becomes partially awake.<\/p>\n
Part of a healthy sleep cycle, people typically experience dozens of these every night and they normally do not remember them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, however, researchers in Europe are warning that having more micro awakenings at night could be a warning sign that someone is at higher risk of cognitive decline.<\/p>\n
In a study tracking 500 adults for up to seven years, scientists found that middle-aged adults who had more micro awakenings were more likely to also have genetic markers that raise their risk of Alzheimer's disease.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This included genetic markers such as the APOE4 gene,\u00a0which is linked to a 60 percent higher risk of an Alzheimer's diagnosis by age 85.<\/p>\n
'These micro awakenings are therefore not insignificant,' said co-author Dr Puneet Talwar, a sleep researcher at the University of Liege, Belgium.<\/p>\n
'Certain profiles could promote the accumulation of proteins involved in Alzheimer's disease and be associated with increased vulnerability.'<\/p>\n
Scientists have revealed a subtle shift in how you sleep that could reveal you are at higher risk of suffering from dementia<\/p>\n
About seven million Americans are living with Alzheimer's, estimates suggest, but that number is expected to nearly double over the next 24 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scientists have warned repeatedly that sleep disruption, poor quality sleep and daytime sleepiness may all raise the risk of Alzheimer's disease, possibly because it can cause harmful proteins to build-up in the brain. It was not clear how the genetic markers may disrupt sleep.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The team behind the paper said their research may have revealed a potential method for detecting Alzheimer's risk years before symptoms appear. Typically, the condition is not diagnosed until someone turns 65 years or older.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the study, published in the journal\u00a0Sleep, scientists tracked\u00a0453 adults with an average age of 22 years and 87 middle-aged adults with an average age of 59 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Overall, younger adults slept for about seven hours and 30 minutes per night while middle-aged adults slept for about six hours and 30 minutes per night.\u00a0<\/p>\n