Sleep Disorders Linked to Late-Life Memory Impairment
Everyone has experienced being wide awake at night and listening to sounds of the morning approaching. These sleepless nights become so frequent that it affects day time activities. One feels sluggish, distracted and easily irritated. But the effects of these sleepless nights have been found also to be connected to acute memory problems developing later in life.
A study conducted by a team from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found supportive evidence for this link between sleep deprivation and memory loss. It released by the American Academy of Neurology. Dr. Bruce Abbott, a sleep physician and neurologist of Southcoast Health System, also supports the idea that such lifestyle and memory loss are related as people get older.
The study utilized 100 adults aged between 45 and 80. 50% of these adults had a family history of Alzheimer’s disease. The research showed that those who would wake up frequently at night had developed a form of plaque on their brains. This specific plaque is being considered as a possible cause of the Alzheimer’s though the Mayo Clinic has said that this is not yet conclusive.
Some local neurologists have established that having sleep disorders causes so many other health problems. Dr. Abbott says that patients suffering from lack of sleep, especially because of common sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, often suffer from paired symptoms of conditions such as obesity, glucose intolerance and hypertension. Their arteries are more likely to harden quickly, putting them at risk of heart attack and other coronary heart disease. This goes to show that sleep is vital to overall health. Sleep allows the brain to restore its cells. Without adequate energy, the body cannot replenish itself and becomes vulnerable.
Another downside of sleep disorders is that they make it difficult to concentrate and recall memories. Dr. Zeyad Morcos, also a sleep doctor and neurologist, from the PRIMA Care group in Fall River, illustrates how sleep deficiency affects work performance and driving ability. Everything in one’s life is affected by sleep deprivation.
More than 100 sleep disorders exist, ranging from obstructive sleep apnea to REM behaviour disorder. REM behaviour disorder occurs during the REM stage of sleep. This usually happens in middle-aged to older male sleepers. The man loses normal temporary paralysis during his REM cycle. The result is that he physically responds to his dreams and does things like jump out of bed. Men who suffer from sleep deprivation due to REM behaviour disorder have been found to develop degenerative neural diseases like Parkinson’s as they get older. Alzheimer’s disease may also be connected to the lack of sleep in people according to a Mayo Clinic study.
Further study is necessary before more conclusions can be made about the cause and effect relationship between the aforementioned diseases and various sleep disorders. So far, the link here is that the build up of neural amyloid plaque, which is seen in elderly people who can’t sleep, may be an indicator of Alzheimer’s disease. The study did not say which sleep disorders garnered the strongest connection to degenerative memory loss, but rather focused on the effects of the disorder on the brain. Those interested in current study of sleep disorders should visit to a local sleep center in their community. If you have sleep-related questions, sleep experts at a sleep center can tell you more about case studies involving sleep deprived patients.
