If you’ve ever shrugged off your insomnia or snoring as a mere annoyance, a new study may have you rethinking your bedtime habits and the importance of sleep. According to a recent GeroScience meta-analysis, sleep disorders like insomnia and sleep apnea are not just bad for your mood and focus—they could significantly increase your risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.

The researchers combed through nearly 13,000 scientific records to examine the links between various sleep disorders and cognitive decline. After filtering out duplicates and less relevant studies, they analyzed 60 studies that looked specifically at how sleep conditions might contribute to dementia risk.

They found:

• People with obstructive sleep apnea—a condition where breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep—had a 45% higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
• Insomnia, the classic inability to fall or stay asleep, was linked to a 59% higher risk of vascular dementia and a 49% increased risk of Alzheimer’s.
• Across the board, individuals with sleep disorders had roughly a 33–36% higher risk of all-cause dementia compared to those who slept soundly.

“These results highlight the critical role of sleep disorders in dementia risk, emphasizing the need for early detection and management of sleep disturbances,” the authors wrote. “Targeted interventions could play a pivotal role in reducing dementia risk, particularly among high-risk populations.”

Sleep disorders are more than just an occasional bad nights. They’re ongoing disruptions to sleep quality, timing, or duration that interfere with daily functioning. This includes:

• Insomnia – difficulty falling or staying asleep.
• Obstructive sleep apnea – breathing interruptions during sleep, often marked by loud snoring or gasping.
• Restless legs syndrome – an urge to move your legs, usually accompanied by uncomfortable sensations.
• Narcolepsy – sudden and uncontrollable episodes of sleep during the day.

These conditions can be caused by a range of factors, including stress, lifestyle, other medical conditions, or mental health challenges. Over time, chronic sleep problems are linked to issues like high blood pressure, depression, weakened immunity—and, as this study now emphasizes, memory loss and cognitive decline.

Sleep is when the brain goes into cleanup mode. It consolidates memories, flushes out waste, and resets circuits. Disrupt that rhythm repeatedly—whether by insomnia or oxygen-depriving apnea—and the brain doesn’t get the maintenance it needs.

While this study may seem scary, there is hope knowing that with lifestyle adjustments, most sleep problems can be solved. So, while you can’t control everything about aging, you can control your sleep hygiene. And as this study suggests, that might just protect your brain decades down the line.

Z Ungvari et al. Sleep disorders increase the risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and cognitive decline: a meta-analysis. GeroScience (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-025-01637-2