Being time poor is not only sucky but bad for your health, experts suggest – specifically your risk of dementia.

Researchers from University College London argued in The Lancet that ‘temporal inequality’ – defined as an unequal distribution of discretionary time owing to structural conditions shaping daily life – is an under-recognised threat when it comes to preventing the devastating illness.

It manifests through insufficient time for restful sleep, working intense or unsociable hours, having a reliance on screens or a lack of downtime to relax.

Time poverty disproportionately affects structurally disadvantaged populations and is exacerbated by performance-driven cultures.

“Although evidence for modifiable risk factors of dementia, such as sleep, physical activity, nutrition, and social engagement, is strong, adopting healthy behaviours requires time,” the authors said.

“We call for temporal justice through research and policies that recognise time as both a resource and a site of inequity in ageing and dementia.”

They also urged further research into how time constraints affect brain health across all phases of life.

“Reducing dementia risk is not only about promoting healthy behaviours but also ensuring the provision of sufficient time and opportunity to adopt and sustain such behaviours,” the researchers concluded.

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