4 min read Insomnia and dementia have a complicated, two-way relationship. A new study finds half a million people in the US have insomnia-related dementia. This translates to 1 in 8 dementia cases. Insomnia is considered a “modifiable risk factor.” Doctors say that addressing sleep issues now could reduce the likelihood of future dementia. Even your tracker warns you that a less-than-great night of sleep can have an effect on your brainpower. Now, a study published in the Journals of Gerontology: Series A not only clarifies that there’s a strong connection between people with insomnia and dementia. It reveals how much scientists underestimated the impact of skipping a few hours of rest. Lack of sleep led to significantly more cases of the debilitating disease than the researchers previously thought. The good news is that most sleep problems are fixable. In other words, optimizing your sleep schedule or seeking a specialist for help may help lower your risk of dementia decades from now.…