Treating yourself to a lie-in can reduce the risk of dementia by more than 70 percent, research shows

Treating yourself to a few extra hours in bed on the weekend can do much more than just re-energize your body.

Research has shown that it can also reduce the risk of dementia by more than 70 percent.

Scientists found that men and women over 65 who slept in on Saturday or Sunday mornings were much less likely to develop the incurable condition later.

Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia affect around 900,000 people in Britain and this number is expected to rise to 1.5 million people by 2040 – due to an aging population.

Doctors recommend regular exercise, a healthy diet and limited alcohol intake to protect against the disease.

An active social life, regular hearing tests and stimulating mental tasks – such as puzzles and crosswords – would also help.

But the latest study, published in the journal Sleep and Breathing, shows that hitting the snooze button on the weekend can also help.

Researchers from National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan, followed 215 men and women aged 65 or older for two years.

The volunteers kept sleep diaries and wore accelerometers – wristwatch-like devices that monitor when the body is moving or motionless – to record sleep times.

Researchers then analyzed which proportion developed cognitive dysfunction – an early warning sign of dementia.

The results showed that about half of the volunteers enjoyed sleeping in on the weekend to catch up on the sleep they missed during the week.

As a result, they were 74 percent less likely to have worsening cognitive function than those who didn’t stay in bed.

Catch-up sleep on weekends has previously been shown to reduce the risk of heart attacks, combat obesity, keep depression at bay and even help people live longer.

Men and women over 65 who sleep in on Saturdays or Sundays are less likely to develop the incurable condition

Scientists say it’s not clear exactly how longer snoozes protect the brain against dementia.

But one theory is that this means the brain has more time to rest and recover, strengthening the connections between neurons.

It may also be that getting enough sleep reduces inflammation in the body, which can contribute to the development of dementia.

In a report on their findings, scientists said: ‘This is the first study to investigate the effects of catch-up sleep on cognitive impairment in older adults.

‘The results indicate that weekend sleep is associated with a reduced risk of cognitive dysfunction.’