A lack of sleep in middle age can increase the risk of dementia

(Tony Hicks/ Healthline) –– Go ahead, get that extra hour of sleep. Your brain may thank you later.

New research suggests that people not getting enough sleep in their 50s and 60s may be increasing their chances of developing dementia later in life.

The study, published last week in the journal Nature Communications, followed nearly 8,000 people in Great Britain for about 25 years, beginning when they were about 50 years old.

The subjects who reported averaging 6 hours or less sleep a night were 30 percent more likely to develop dementia than those who regularly averaged 7 hours or more of sleep per night.

Doctors say that even an extra hour of sleep can make a difference when it comes to the brain getting its necessary internal work done. (…)