Want to Lower Your Dementia Risk? This Simple, Free Habit May Help

Getting plenty of sunlight each day is linked to several health benefits, including a lowered risk of depression and better sleep. And now new research suggests another perk to add to the list: a reduced risk of dementia. That's the major takeaway from a new General Psychiatry study where researchers found a link between more daytime light exposure and a significantly lower risk of dementia in study participants.

Sunlight exposure isn't currently considered a big factor in dementia prevention, but the findings make a strong case for it. Here’s what neurologists say about this news. Meet the experts: Anna Hohler, MD, director of neurology for Northwell Health's Westchester Region, and chair of neurology at Phelps Hospital and Northern Westchester Hospital, and Clifford Segil, DO, a neurologist at Providence Saint John's Health Center For the observational study, researchers analyzed data from 87,577 adults who wore wrist devices with accelerometers for seven days that also measured exposure to daytime light.

The team then followed up with the participants after about 8.1 years. During that time, 741 of them were diagnosed with dementia. They discovered that participants who were exposed to average daytime light levels higher than 1,000 lux (similar to an overcast day) had a 16 percent lower relative risk of developing dementia.

Those who spent longer periods of time in brighter daytime light (at least 5,000 lux) had a 17 percent lower relative risk of dementia. The amount of outdoor light exposure mattered, too. In one model, people who got less than 42 minutes of bright daytime light exposure each day were more likely to develop dementia than those who had six established risk factors for dementia (including alcohol use, obesity, air pollution, and hearing loss).

"Further research should explore its role in dementia screening and inform the development of light-based interventions," the researchers wrote. It's crucial to stress that the study found a link between daylight exposure and lowered dementia risk, but it didn't prove cause and effect. It also just uncovered an association—researchers didn't explore what may be behind it.

Still, experts have a few theories. "Regular exposure to daylight may support several factors that are important for brain health," says Anna Hohler, MD, director of neurology for Northwell Health's Westchester Region, and chair of neurology at Phelps Hospital and Northern Westchester Hospital. People who spend more time outdoors tend to be more physically active, socially engaged, and have healthier sleep-wake cycles, all of which have been linked to a lower risk of cognitive decline, Dr.