Can poor sleep increase the risk of dementia? There is some evidence to suggest that a lack of sleep may increase a person's risk of dementia, but there is not enough to say for sure. Currently, researchers are not sure how sleep and dementia are linked.

In conclusion, prospective studies have identified female gender, depressed mood, and physical illness as general risk factors for future sleep disturbances in later life, although specific physiological pathways have not yet been established.

Possible sleep problems include excessive sleepiness during the day and insomnia with difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. Frequent awakenings during the night and premature morning awakenings are also common.

Dementia can affect the production of a sleep hormone in the brain called melatonin. This helps the person to feel sleepy when it gets darker in the evening. As a person's dementia progresses, their brain may make less melatonin, which makes it harder to fall asleep in the evening.