We all know that sleeping well can make us feel sharper and more rested. But there is some evidence to suggest that poor sleep over a long period of time can increase our risk of dementia. One study, which followed over 10,000 UK civil servants over 25 years, found that sleeping less than six hours a night between the ages of 50 and 70 could increase your risk by up to 30%. Another suggests that sleep disturbances over a long period may contribute to cognitive decline and an increased risk of dementia. However, the links between sleep and dementia are extremely difficult to unravel. Scientists aren’t certain whether...

Researchers have recently discovered that uncorrected vision problems in later life seem to increase a person’s risk of developing dementia. ‘Uncorrected’ means that the person experiencing the problem hasn’t taken steps to address it – by wearing glasses, lenses or having treatment to correct it. So if you do wear glasses or you’ve had an operation such as removing cataracts, you’re reducing that additional risk. There are three main ways in which scientists think our vision and dementia risk are linked, and these could all apply to different people. Vision problems make it harder to keep connected to other people and the world around us, meaning the brain...

What if the fights of adolescence echo inside the body years...

What if the fights of adolescence echo inside the body years...