Researchers just made a HUGE discovery about something that happens to lots of people in middle age…but at the same time, causes dementia risk to SKYROCKET by up to 37 percent.
Fortunately, it’s an easy problem to spot…and fix.
In fact, there’s one simple step you can take, starting today, to ELIMINATE it for good!
Here’s everything you need to know…
Researchers uncover a major link between poor sleep and dementia
Researchers have been looking at the role poor sleep plays in the development of dementia for a long time. But most of the previously published studies looked at the effects of poor sleep during a shorter window of time…often just 10 years or less.
That’s one reason why the brand-new study published earlier this year caught my attention. It followed almost 8,000 men and women for 25 years. Meaning it allowed researchers to really delve deeply into the long-term effect of poor sleep over many years in a person’s life…
At the study’s outset, most of the participants were in their 50s. They reported their sleep duration and quality in real time at six points over the following 25 years. (More than half of the subjects also wore an accelerometer—a device that detects periods of motion and stillness—to record their sleep during the 2012-2013 reporting cycle.)
As you probably expected, the researchers found that not getting enough sleep each night in middle age was indeed a major risk factor for developing dementia later in life.
In fact, those who slept six hours or less per night in their 50s, 60s, and/or 70s had a 30 percent higher risk of developing dementia, on average, compared to those who got at least seven hours of sleep per night.
Specifically, at age 50, short sleepers faced a 22 percent increased risk compared to normal sleepers. At age 60, they had a 37 percent increased risk. And at age 70, they had a 24 percent higher risk.
Plus, these strong risks remained, even after the researchers controlled for behavioral, demographic and social factors, as well as cardiometabolic and mental health, including depression.
Unfortunately, the researchers didn’t differentiate the different types of dementia. So there’s no way to know for sure how many people developed Alzheimer’s disease (AD), or another type of dementia, as a result of cardiovascular disease or other neurocognitive disorders. (Still, the team estimated that 78 percent of the dementia cases were AD.)
In the end, this major, 25-year study suggests that if you’re in your 50s, 60s, or 70s and find yourself routinely getting fewer than seven hours of quality sleep per night, then you probably run a significantly higher risk of developing dementia.
Fortunately, as I mentioned earlier, there’s one simple, drug-free, breakthrough approach to getting better sleep, night after night…
Ancient therapy helps you catch some ZZZs
The ancient practice of aromatherapy has been effectively used for thousands of years to treat a number of ailments—including depression, high blood pressure, and migraines. And it’s finally starting to get the attention it deserves from the scientific community. Especially when it comes to treating insomnia and stress…
The practice involves applying essential plant oils (the same kinds of oils used to make fragrances) directly to your skin with a carrier oil or inhaling them through a mist diffuser. (When inhaled, the essential plant oil stimulus goes straight from the olfactory receptors in your nose into the special olfactory bulb in the front part of the brain.) Then, when the plant compounds in the oils reach your brain, they signal you to relax, fall asleep, and stay asleep.
Two oils I specifically recommend for sleep are chamomile and lavender.
Chamomile is a daisy-like plant that contains antioxidants, like apigenin, and has a calming effect when ingested. In fact, people have enjoyed drinking chamomile tea for generations. (I remember my mother and grandmother often used to brew a cup before bedtime.)
Lavender, which I find has a particularly pleasant scent, has also been associated with helping people fall asleep for generations, especially in Europe. (In fact, I remember my grandfather’s friend in France once sent me home with two of her blue nylon stockings filled with dried lavender from her garden.)
Plus, modern studies show lavender essential oil can help lower blood pressure, slow heart rate, and cool skin temperature to help prepare your body for restful sleep.
So, I suggest adding a few drops of chamomile and lavender to a mist diffuser. Or—you can apply a few drops, with a carrier oil, right onto your skin or pillow at bedtime.
Other plant oils that are effective for supporting sleep (in addition to chamomile and lavender) include: limonene, orange, and peppermint. I personally like to apply a combination of ALL of these oils, blended with vitamin E in organic coconut and eucalyptus oil, directly onto my skin shortly before, or right at, bedtime. (You can also apply them any time during the day to pleasantly promote calm and relaxation!)
Lastly, if you’re concerned about your cognitive health at you get older, I urge you to check out my Complete Alzheimer’s Fighting Protocol. This innovative learning tool includes dozens of natural steps you can use to fight and even reverse AD. Including specific recommendations for supplementing with berberine, folic acid, grape extract, lutein, thiamine, turmeric, and vitamins B6 and B12. To learn more about this comprehensive protocol, or to enroll today, click here now.
P.S. Tune back in on Thursday for my report on how to “turn off” another major risk factor for cognitive decline as you get older.
Sources:
“Just one night of sleep loss harms your well-being, new study finds.” CNN, 7/9/21. (cnn.com/2017/07/05/health/alzheimers-sleep-dementia-study/index.html)
“Association of sleep duration in middle and old age with incidence of dementia.” Nat Commun 2021; 12:2289. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22354-2