"Research shows that experiencing frequent distressing dreams and nightmares ― meaning, specifically, frightening dreams that cause you to wake up ― may be linked with a higher risk of cognitive decline and dementia. A 2023 analysis in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine concluded that sleep disturbances should be considered when evaluating someone at risk for dementia. Previous research has discovered a possible link between distressing dreams and a higher risk of dementia in people with Parkinson's disease."
"The data suggested that the group of middle-aged adults who reported a higher frequency of nightmares ― classified as once a week or more ― were associated with having a higher risk of cognitive decline. Likewise, for the older adults, the study found that more nightmares were linked to higher risks of "all-cause dementia," meaning the syndrome can be caused by a number of different diseases."
Dream frequency and age of occurrence can signal dementia risk. Experiencing frequent distressing dreams and nightmares that cause awakening is linked to higher risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Sleep disturbances should be considered when assessing dementia risk. A group of 605 middle-aged adults, cognitively normal at baseline and followed up to 13 years, showed weekly nightmares were associated with a fourfold greater risk of cognitive decline compared with no nightmares. A group of 2,600 older adults (mean age 83), dementia-free at baseline and followed up to seven years, showed frequent distressing dreams were associated with about double the risk of all-cause dementia. Distressing dreams have also been linked with higher dementia risk in people with Parkinson's disease.
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