Scientists Just Uncovered A New Dementia Warning Sign—And It's More Common Than You Think

If you've ever felt similar you're truthful sleepy you're astir to instrumentality a snooze lasting up (or sitting astatine your table astir the 3 p.m. slump), you're not alone. It’s mean to consciousness wiped retired sometimes, particularly erstwhile your beingness is truly engaged oregon person fto your sleep hygiene slide. But feeling consistently tired tin beryllium a motion that thing is earnestly disconnected with your health.

In fact, scientists person discovered that successful older adults, this benignant of excessive sleepiness could beryllium a informing motion for dementia, according to caller research. Of course, it’s important to accent that it’s mean to consciousness bushed connected immoderate level arsenic you get older, which makes these findings a small complicated. (TLDR: Don't panic if your grandma likes her day naps—she has earned them! And getting older causes a batch of deterioration and teardrop connected the assemblage that requires rest.)

Here’s what the survey found, positive what's down this link.

Meet the expert: Clifford Segil, DO, a neurologist astatine Providence Saint John’s Health Center successful Santa Monica, CA.

What did the survey find?

The study, which was published successful the diary Neurology, utilized slumber trackers to ticker the slumber patterns (including naps) of 733 women successful their 80s. During the astir five-year follow-up period, 164 of the women developed mild cognitive impairment, which is simply a noticeable alteration successful representation and reasoning skills, and 93 were diagnosed with dementia.

The researchers discovered that radical who had ample jumps successful sleepiness implicit time, including excessive napping, had treble the hazard of processing dementia. As a result, the researchers concluded that changes successful slumber patterns whitethorn beryllium an “early marker” oregon hazard origin for dementia successful older women.

Why is sleepiness linked with dementia?

It’s not wholly clear. “If you inquire 2 antithetic neurologists, you whitethorn get 2 antithetic answers arsenic we inactive don’t cognize the crushed we sleep,” says Clifford Segil, DO, a neurologist astatine Providence Saint John’s Health Center successful Santa Monica, CA.

However, Dr. Segil points retired that slumber is linked to memory consolidation (where short-term memories go semipermanent memories) and bully wellness overall. “Getting a bully night’s slumber is much important for octogenarians—people successful their 80s—than a bully daytime nap,” helium says.

Dr. Segil notes that mediocre slumber is linked to occupation consolidating memories successful younger people, and that astir apt gets worse with age. “Memory retrieval is apt affected by mediocre slumber successful aged patients,” helium says. So, if idiosyncratic is not sleeping well, it could interaction their memory, particularly if this is simply a accordant issue.

Could it beryllium a motion of thing else?

Yup, feeling consistently bushed tin beryllium linked with a scope of wellness issues. “Daytime sleepiness is astir often associated with a information called obstructive slumber apnea, whose main symptoms is daytime sleepiness oregon non-restorative sleep,” Dr. Segil says.

But narcolepsy, anemia, depression, and definite vitamin deficiencies tin besides origin you to consciousness bushed during the day, making this an important happening to get checked out.

What are immoderate different communal dementia signs and symptoms?

There are a batch of imaginable aboriginal symptoms of dementia, but these are the astir common, according to the National Institute connected Aging (NIA):

• Memory loss, mediocre judgment, and confusion

• Trouble speaking, knowing and expressing thoughts

• Wandering and getting mislaid successful a acquainted area

• Difficulty handling wealth and paying bills

• Repeating questions

• Using antithetic words to notation to acquainted objects

• Taking longer to implicit mean regular tasks

• Losing involvement successful mean regular activities

• Hallucinating oregon having delusions oregon paranoia

• Acting impulsively

• Not caring astir different people’s feelings

• Losing equilibrium and problems with movement

If you oregon a loved 1 is dealing with changeless daytime sleepiness, it’s a bully thought to get it checked retired by a healthcare provider. There are truthful galore imaginable reasons for this symptom, but you won’t cognize what you’re dealing with until you get a due evaluation.

You Might Also Like