Can nightmares predict dementia risk?

New research shows that people with frequent nightmares are 4x more likely to be diagnosed with dementia later in life — and it’s worse for men.

According to new research at University of Birmingham, people who experience frequent nightmares in middle age are 4x more likely to be diagnosed with dementia later in life, AND men are more strongly affected than women,

Study design:

600 adult men and women between ages 35–64, and 2,600 adults age 79 and older. All participants were dementia-free at the start of the study and were followed up with for an average of 9 years for the younger group and 5 years for the older group (the study started in 2002).

Results:

Middle-aged people (35–64) who experienced bad dreams on a weekly basis are 4x more likely to experience cognitive decline over the following decade, while older people were 2x more likely to be diagnosed with dementia.

Interestingly, men were more strongly affected by this association: “For example, older men experiencing nightmares on a weekly basis were 5 times more likely to develop dementia than older men reporting no bad dreams. In women, however, the increase in risk was only 41%.”