MedPage Today (9/10, George) reported a study found that “insomnia raised the risk of cognitive impairment and brain aging in cognitively healthy people.” Researchers observed that “older adults with chronic insomnia – defined as difficulty sleeping at least 3 days a week for 3 months or longer – had a 40% higher risk of developing mild cognitive impairment or dementia compared with those who didn’t have chronic insomnia.” This equates to “3.5 additional years of brain aging.” Researchers also noted that insomnia was “associated with faster decline in global cognitive scores. People who carried the APOE4 Alzheimer’s risk gene showed steeper declines in cognition.” The study was published in Neurology. (SOURCE: APA Headlines)