If you’re increasingly skipping social plans because you’re tired, it could be a sign that you’re at risk for dementia.
A study suggests that older people who are sleepy during the day or who lack enthusiasm for activities due to fatigue are more likely to develop an Alzheimer’s-related syndrome.
The condition is called motor cognitive risk syndrome (MCR) and the authors suggest there could be a link between it and sleep problems.
People with this syndrome walk slowly and may have memory problems, but the new study suggests they may also suffer from daytime sleepiness and, as a result, a reduced desire to go out and do things like socialize.
The study’s lead author, Dr. Victoire Leroy, from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York, said: “There is a possibility that people could get help with their sleep problems and prevent cognitive decline in the future.”
People diagnosed with MCR are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia as people without the syndrome.
Researchers in New York City surveyed more than 400 people over the age of 65 about their sleep quality and observed them over a three-year period.
They found that people who slept poorly and had no interest in their daily activities were three times more likely to develop MCR than people who slept well.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. Aside from changes in sleep and energy levels, some of the early signs include confusion, forgetfulness, and trouble speaking.
About one in ten Americans over age 65 suffer from some form of dementia, according to research by Columbia University.
Certain forms of the disease, such as Alzheimer’s, are expected to increase in the coming years, affecting about 13 million Americans by 2050.
There is still a lot that researchers don’t understand about the causes of dementia.
But finding out what some of the early signs of the disease are can help researchers better understand and, hopefully, treat it.
One of those early signs is sleep disruption, according to the study, which was published in the American Academy of Neurology’s journal Neurology.
Study author Dr Leroy said: “Our findings underscore the need to screen for sleep problems.”
Dr. Leroy’s study included 445 people around age 76 who did not have dementia at baseline.
Forty-two people were at risk for motor cognitive risk at the start of the study, but did not yet qualify for more serious conditions.
Each participant completed a survey about their sleep at the beginning of the study, which included questions about sleep quality, duration, and whether they had difficulty staying awake during the day.
Over the course of the study, 36 people developed motor cognitive risk syndrome.
One-third of people who had difficulty staying awake during daily activities developed MCR, compared to only six percent of the rest of the participants.
After taking into account factors such as age, depression and other health risks, they found that people who had little enthusiasm for their daily activities and daytime sleepiness were three times more likely to develop the syndrome than people who had no problems. to sleep.
Approximately one in ten Americans over the age of 65 currently suffer from dementia. The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that certain types of the disease are increasing. Alzheimer’s is expected to grow to 13 million people by 2050
The study authors cautioned that their study had limitations. First, it only showed an association between sleep quality and MCR, it did not prove that lack of sleep caused MCR.
Second, because their study only included a few hundred people, it needs to be done again to ensure it is valid for everyone, Dr. Leroy said.
Dr. Leroy also added that since MCR was not identified until 2013, there is still a lot that scientists don’t understand about why it occurs and how it can lead to dementia.
Older studies have suggested that poor sleep is one of the first signs of dementia. It is difficult to know if it is a cause of dementia or a symptom of it.
Researchers of Harvard Medical School It found that people who slept less than the stated hours per night were twice as likely to develop dementia as those who slept between six and eight hours per night.
A theory, proposed by Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare, is that if we don’t get enough sleep, our brain doesn’t have enough time to eliminate the waste it normally processes during a long period of sleep.
This waste could build up in the brain, deadening cells and causing changes that build up over time.
Whatever the mechanism, health authorities are clear about their advice on sleep: Get as much as possible as regularly as possible. According to the CDC, adults should sleep 7 or more hours a day.