A study warns of lack of sleep

A new study warns that getting five hours or less of sleep per night doubles the risk of developing dementia, according to the British "Daily Mail" site.

Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston studied data from 2,812 American adults over the age of 65.

They found that a "very short" sleep duration, of five hours or less, doubled the risk of developing dementia compared to the recommended seven to eight hours.

The study supports previous research that lack of sleep paves the way for forms of dementia such as Alzheimer's disease.

The study did not investigate the reason behind the link, as it is possible that lack of rest prevents the brain from getting rid of toxins that lead to a continuous deterioration in brain function.