Older adults who started sleeping more than nine hours a night — but had not previously slept so much — were at more than double the risk of developing dementia a decade later than those who slept nine hours or less, researchers report. 
 
 The increased risk was not seen in people who had always slept more than nine hours. 
 
 “We’re not suggesting you go wake up Grandpa. We think this might be a marker for the risk of dementia, not a cause” of the illness, said Dr. Sudha Seshadri, a professor of neurology at Boston University School of Medicine and the senior author of the study, in Neurology. 
 
 Using data from 2,457 people, average age 72, who were part of a study in Framingham, Mass., the researchers found that those with a new habit of excessive slumber were at a greater risk of all forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s, which is characterized by a buildup of beta amyloid, a toxic protein fragment that forms plaques in the brain. 
 
 “My suspicion is that this is a compensatory mechanism: that at a time when amyloid is building up in the brain, people may be sleeping longer as the body is reacting and trying to remove it from the brain,” Dr. Seshadri added. ||||| Methods: Self-reported total hours of sleep were examined in the Framingham Heart Study (n = 2,457, mean age 72 ± 6 years, 57% women) as a 3-level variable: <6 hours (short), 6–9 hours (reference), and >9 hours (long), and was related to the risk of incident dementia over 10 years, and cross-sectionally to total cerebral brain volume (TCBV) and cognitive performance. 
 
 Results: We observed 234 cases of all-cause dementia over 10 years of follow-up. In multivariable analyses, prolonged sleep duration was associated with an increased risk of incident dementia (hazard ratio [HR] 2.01; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.24–3.26). These findings were driven by persons with baseline mild cognitive impairment (HR 2.83; 95% CI 1.06–7.55) and persons without a high school degree (HR 6.05; 95% CI 3.00–12.18). Transitioning to sleeping >9 hours over a mean period of 13 years before baseline was associated with an increased risk of all-cause dementia (HR 2.43; 95% CI 1.44–4.11) and clinical Alzheimer disease (HR 2.20; 95% CI 1.17–4.13). Relative to sleeping 6–9 hours, long sleep duration was also associated cross-sectionally with smaller TCBV (β ± SE, −1.08 ± 0.41 mean units of TCBV difference) and poorer executive function (β ± SE, −0.41 ± 0.13 SD units of Trail Making Test B minus A score difference). ||||| Dr Matthew Pase, who led the research, said: “Persons reporting long sleep time may warrant assessment and monitoring for problems with thinking and memory.” 
 
 The new findings are based on data from more than 2,400 patients enrolled in the Framingham Heart Study, a major US investigation into heart disease risk factors. 
 
 Participants, who had an average age of 72, were asked how long they typically slept each night and observed over a period of 10 years. 
 
 A total of 234 cases of dementia were recorded over the follow-up period. 
 
 Sleeping for more than nine hours more than doubled the risk of both all types of dementia and specifically Alzheimer's. 
 
 It was also associated with smaller brain volume. 
 
 Dr Rosa Sancho, from Alzheimer's Research UK, said: "While unusual sleep patterns are common for people with dementia, this study adds to existing research suggesting that changes in sleep could be apparent long before symptoms like memory loss start to show. 
 
 "Other studies have indicated a link between changes in sleep quality and the onset of dementia, and while this wasn't measured in this study, it could be an important factor affecting sleep duration.” 
 
 She added: "Understanding more about how sleep is affected by dementia could one day help doctors to identify those who are at risk of developing the condition. 
 
 Another study has found that developing rambling speech may be an early indication of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which can lead to Alzheimer's. The new research is reported in the journal Neurology.
– Seniors who indulge in a morning lie-in may want to take note. A new study found that older adults who slept more than nine hours a night were at double the risk of developing Alzheimer's and other neurological disorders, the New York Times reports. The red flag was limited to those who increased their sleeping time with age. But for those sleep-lovers who have always enjoyed lazy mornings curled under the covers, there was no increased risk. Senior author Dr. Sudha Seshadri of Boston University says the change in sleep patterns is likely a symptom rather than a cause of dementia. "We’re not suggesting you go wake up Grandpa," he tells the Times. In the study, researchers tracked 2,457 people over 60, average age 72, for 10 years. They write in the journal Neurology that those who began sleeping longer than nine hours had smaller brain volumes, took longer to process information, and showed signs of memory loss, reports the Telegraph. Seshadri theorizes that sleeping was a "compensatory mechanism" as the body tries to rid itself of a toxic protein called beta amyloid. A buildup of this protein in the brain causes plaques in Alzheimer's sufferers. About 7% of people over age 65 develop some form of dementia, per the Telegraph. While there is no cure, early intervention and meds can lead to treatments that can slow the onset. "Persons reporting long sleep time may warrant assessment and monitoring for problems with thinking and memory," says study researcher Dr. Matthew Pase. (Heartburn meds have been linked to a higher risk of dementia.)