Lack of sleep could increase your risk of Alzheimer's disease

A study on Alzheimer's disease found that excessive daytime sleepiness could cause plaque buildup in the brain, considered a hallmark of the disease.

The study was published in the journal "Sleep" earlier this month. It was conducted by a professor of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland.

The researchers examined the long-term effects of excessive daytime sleepiness. They discovered that patients who suffered from it had plaque buildup in their brains. In fact, the risk of developing brain plaque accumulation in these patients can be almost three times higher.

A prominent sleep doctor in Houston said this study should wake everyone up.

"This should be something you are thinking about and one of the many reasons not to sleep lightly," said Dr. Sudha Tallavaghul of the Sleep Neurological Medicine Center at TIRR Memorial Hermann. "Having a lack of sleep, he was once considered heroic, I can sleep for five hours, no longer, you have to repay that debt one way or another."

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control announced that doctors predict that Alzheimer 's and dementia – related diseases will double by 2060.

In 2014, 5 million Americans were suffering from dementia. This represents about 1.6% of the population.

The CDC now predicts that cases of dementia will reach 13.9 million, or 3.3% of the population in 2060.

Americans of Hispanic origin will experience the largest increase in dementia cases over the next 42 years, the CDC said.

The dementia will increase in part because of the decrease in the number of people suffering from other chronic diseases and survival in adulthood, predicted the officials.

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