moodboard/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Scientists have suspected for a few years that getting too little deep sleep can keep the brain from clearing out proteins linked to dementia. And now, new research out of Boston University suggests that those who sleep for more than nine hours a night are also at higher risk.
“It’s funny. It’s a U-shaped curve,” says Dr. Gregg Silverman. “That is, people who get less than six hours’ sleep at night and those who get more than eight hours of sleep at night have a higher risk of dementia in 10 years.”
For most people, the optimum amount of sleep seems to be what you’ve always heard: About eight hours.
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