Noggins in North Dakota need more care, according to a new brain health study.
The state ranked 42nd in the "Index of Brain Health," a report released last week. Minnesota fared better, coming in 28th.
So what gives North Dakota brains such a bad rap? It ranked dead last in two of the 21 measurements used in the index: hours of sleep per night and rate of Alzheimer's disease.
But the high prevalence of Alzheimer's in North Dakota can be attributed to the graying population. Half of the people who live to be 85 or older develop the disease, said Gretchen Dobervich, regional director of the Minnesota-North Dakota chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.
"That's really what drives that number up," she said. "We just live so long. It must be the fresh air."
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As for the state's apparent insomnia, that may be largely a statistical quirk. The data comes from a self-reported time-use study by the federal government, and puts the average North Dakotan's daily slumber at 8.17 hours. That works out to only 20 minutes less than the national average of 8.5 hours.
Yet there could be a plausible explanation for North Dakotans eschewing sleep, said Dr. Andy McLean, medical director for the state's Department of Human Services. North Dakota has the highest frequency of people who work multiple jobs, and its northern latitude makes for one of the largest disparities in daylight hours.
Or maybe the lack of shuteye is caused by one of the other health factors in which North Dakota didn't do well. The state's rate of recreational reading is the second-worst, which means fewer opportunities to nod off in bed under a page-turner turned eyelid-closer.
That low rate of reading, by the way, is quite a shock to Tim Dirks, library director in Fargo. By usage of the libraries in the state's largest city, he'd peg North Dakotans as more frequent readers.
"There's a lot of ways to see how the numbers fall," Dirks said.
Though the rankings were compiled by Martek Biosciences, which makes omega-3 products and counted use of such supplements as one of the brain health indicators, the data was culled from third parties - most of them government groups such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
"Every metric we chose, there was a nice body of research," said Cassie France-Kelly, a spokeswoman for Martek. Doctors and other scientists helped the company pick the categories, which are loosely grouped into four groups: diet, physical health, mental health and social well-being.
Some good news came through in those metrics, too. Minnesota's stronger showing was helped by top rankings in cardiovascular disease deaths and physical activity.
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Both states tied for first in reporting the fewest number of "poor mental health days," which were defined as days in which a person couldn't complete their normal tasks because of mental health issues, said France-Kelly.
McLean said that speaks to Midwestern resiliency, but it also illustrates a flaw with the overall rankings.
If the states' residents have the fewest days of mental health problems, in how bad of shape can their brain be?
"There's obviously a disconnect there," McLean said.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Dave Roepke at (701) 241-5535
