Scientists have linked excessive sleepiness during the day, a lack of enthusiasm and finding challenge to maintain interest in daily activities to an increased risk of developing a condition that can lead to dementia.
The findings were published in the peer-reviewed science journal Neurology and will be outlined in this article.
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The study, conducted by Dr. Victoire Leroy and her team at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, tracked 445 participants with an average age of 76 who did not have dementia at the beginning of the study.
Participants completed sleep-related questionnaires and underwent memory and walking speed tests over three years. They reported sleep difficulties, such as waking up in the middle of the night, struggling to fall asleep, and needing medications to manage sleep.
Daytime Drowsiness and Low Motivation Tied to Increased Risk
After adjusting for factors like age, depression, and other health issues, the findings showed that those with excessive sleepiness and low enthusiasm were over three times more likely to develop MCR syndrome, also known as motoric cognitive risk syndrome.
MRC is characterised by slow walking speed and self-reported memory issues but does not involve any existing mobility disability or diagnosed dementia.
Further reading: Keeping your brain lively with games may defer Alzheimer's dementia for several years (Universal-Sci)
The researchers found that those who experienced excessive daytime sleepiness or had a lack of enthusiasm for activities were more likely to develop Specifically, 35.5% of people with these sleep issues developed the syndrome, compared to just 6.7% of people without it.
However, it is important to note that participants self-reported their sleep patterns, which may not always be accurate. This study did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship between sleep problems and MCR syndrome, it suggests a link worth further investigation.
Dr. Leroy: "Our findings emphasize the need for screening for sleep issues,". "There’s potential that addressing these issues could help delay or prevent cognitive decline later in life." All in all, this study highlights an important area of focus for healthy ageing, more research is needed to understand how sleep disturbances relate to MCR syndrome and cognitive decline.
If you are interested in more details about the underlying research, be sure to check out the paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Neurology, listed below.
Sources and further reading:
What is the difference between Alzheimer's disease and dementia? (Universal-Sci)
Is it True that Taking Vitamin D Can Help Reduce the Risk of Dementia? (Universal-Sci)
Can hearing aids help prevent dementia? (Universal-Sci)
Motoric cognitive risk syndrome (Neurology)
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