Sleep disorders could indicate the disease years before dementia is diagnosed. (Symbolic image) © Christoph Soeder/dpa
More and more people in Germany are suffering from dementia. A study from Canada now provides new insights: sleep disorders could indicate the disease years before a dementia diagnosis.
Fulda – The number of people suffering from dementia has risen continuously in recent years. Younger people are also increasingly affected by the nerve disease. The German Alzheimer Society speaks of around 1.8 million sufferers. Reason enough to focus more on preventive measures and the most important risk factors for the development of the disease in the future.
Risk of dementia – signs can be seen years before while you sleep
There is a lot that can be done to combat dementia in old age. The recommendations range from a healthy, flavonoid-rich diet to exercise and an active social life to a variety of tips and foods that protect brain health in the long term.
And although, according to the Federal Ministry of Health, there is currently no therapy that slows or even cures Alzheimer’s-related brain damage, certain medications can temporarily improve the symptoms of dementia in some patients. This makes it all the more important to recognize any warning signals as early as possible. The first signs can appear decades before diagnosis.
In dementia and Parkinson’s disease, the diagnosis is often only made when the symptoms are already severe. However, there are early warning signs for both diseases. When people develop dementia, they may initially experience problems with short-term memory and recall. Over time, long-term memory content is lost. As a result, patients gradually lose skills and abilities that they have learned throughout their lives.
Typical symptoms of dementia are:
- Confusion and forgetfulness
- Loss of sense of smell
- Disorientation
- aggressiveness and irritability
- Depression
- Personality changes
- Delusions and hallucinations
- Language problems
- Declining activity
- Difficulty coping with everyday life
According to a report by fr.de The brain can send subtle signals that indicate possible illness long before a diagnosis of dementia is made. A study from Canada also comes to this conclusion. Accordingly, a so-called REM sleep behavior disorder is a warning sign of brain diseases that can occur around 15 years later.
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According to the study, people who frequently hit or kick in their dreams at night have an 80 to 100 percent increased risk of developing a neurodegenerative disease such as dementia or Parkinson’s. Of course, not every nightmare is a sign of illness. In the case of sleep disorders, it is crucial that the urge to move occurs during REM sleep.
Early warning signal: Researchers discover signs of dementia in sleep behavior
And total sleep duration also apparently has an influence on the risk of developing dementia. The reason for this, according to them Alzheimer’s Research Initiative certain processes in the brain that occur, among other things, when sleeping. “Even if the connection between chronic lack of sleep and the development of dementia diseases such as Alzheimer’s is not yet clear, research results indicate that important regenerative processes take place in the brain during sleep, which can also protect against dementia.”
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One of the most important processes is the removal of harmful substances from the brain. This also includes amyloid beta, the protein that clumps together to form Alzheimer’s plaques in the brain and destroys the connections between nerve cells, it continues. When we sleep, the brain takes on a kind of “cleaning” function. Science now assumes that in people who don’t sleep enough over the long term, these processes are disrupted and “toxic proteins” can accumulate in the brain.
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A study in the science magazine Nature communication has presented figures for a connection between sleep and dementia risk, reports German Brain Foundation. Data from almost 8,000 people were evaluated over a period of 25 years. The results showed that people who slept an average of seven hours a night were least likely to develop dementia as they got older. In contrast, dementia rates were 30 percent higher among those who slept for shorter periods of time.
However, it still needs to be clarified whether sleep actually triggers the disease, emphasizes Prof. Dr. Frank Erbguth, President of the German Brain Foundation. The connection could also be the other way around and the shorter sleep could be a result of dementia in the participants studied.
Nevertheless, you should make sure you get enough restful sleep and avoid other dementia risk factors. If you include two types of fruit in your diet as often as possible, you will also be doing something for your own brain health and protection against dementia.
You can find further articles on the topic of health in our advice section.
This article contains only general information on the relevant health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. It in no way replaces a visit to the doctor. Our editorial team is not permitted to answer individual questions about illnesses.
