Don't Consider It Trivial, Most Sleep Turns Out To Trigger Alzheimer's Risk

Illustration of sleeping people (Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio)

JAKARTA - Sleep is one of the important factors to maintain the health of the body, especially the brain. However, the duration of sleep should not be excessive because it can endanger the brain, and trigger the risk of dementia to Alzheimer's.

Dementia is a decrease in brain function that affects memory, thinking, behavior, and daily activities. Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia, which disturbs brain cells.

Research found that sleep with an average of 9 hours per night can trigger brain aging and memory problems in the future. Research followed by 1,853 adults aged 27-85 years and learning how their sleep duration affects cognitive functions.

The cognitive function of each participant is examined every 4 years, with indicators of standard gold memory, verbal reasoning, visual-spatial awareness, and reaction time.

Not only that, participants also filled out a 4-year survey detailing the duration of their sleep every night. As a result, the average of those who slept 9 hours or more per night during the two-decade study had poor performance in all four cognitive tests.

Participants who sleep more than 9 hours per night show symptoms of depression, mood disorders that trigger excessive sleep patterns. Participants who do not show signs of depression but sleep more than 9 hours per night experience a decline in cognitive function, especially in global cognition and visual reproduction.

"Disturbations in duration and sleep patterns contribute to an increased risk of cognitive deficits and Alzheimer's disease," said one of the researchers, Professor Young, quoted by the Daily Mail, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.

However, this study does not yet know for sure why sleep patterns can affect brain function. However, another study in Sweden suspected the cause was circadiant rhythm, natural sleep cycle, and waking up.