Can Poor Sleep Cause Dementia?

Recent reports have linked the amount of sleep we get at night, to the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or Dementia.  We take a closer look at how sleep and memory problems could be linked.

While the studies aren’t clear whether poor sleep causes Alzheimer’s or Dementia, they are showing that poor sleep can be one of the first symptoms of the illnesses.  What’s worse is that it has also been proven that poor sleep in turn has a negative impact on memory, cause a vicious circle of decline.

 Benefits of Good Sleep

[quote style=”boxed” float=”right”]some scientists say you should only try to sleep in intervals of 90 minutes, e.g. 6 hrs or 7.5hrs[/quote] Although exact recommendations vary most experts recommend that we need between 6 and 8 hours of sleep to keep our minds and bodies in top condition.

We tend to view sleep as our time to rest, however, the brain is actually quite active and busy with important tasks such as strengthening memories and “virtually” practicing skills learned. This process is called ‘consolidation’ and studies have proven that the memory performs better after getting sufficient quality sleep.

Having a good nights sleep can also help to stave off depression, with The Sleep Council reporting recently that 41% of people feel positive after enjoying a good sleep; and with recent reports linking depression to dementia, this can only be a positive.

Effects of Poor Sleep

According to recent reports and scientific studies, a chronic shortage of good quality or slow wave (deep) sleep can be linked to memory problems in later life.

A recent study conducted with elderly participants showed that participants with sleep disorders  that prevented them from getting a steady amount of deep sleep were more than twice as likely to develop some form of dementia as those who slept well.

Cause or Consequence?

While there has been a lot of interest in establishing the link between dementia and sleep, it is still not clear whether sleep loss is a cause of Dementia or Alzheimer’s or a consequence of the diseases.

One thing that does seem clear from the majority of studies is that sleep problems could be an early indicator of Alzheimer’s disease or Dementia, and that unadressed can certainly hasten the progression of symptoms, however the research still has a long way to go.

How to Get Better Sleep

Here are some tricks for getting a better night’s rest:

• Make your bedroom your sleeping sanctuary rather than just another multipurpose room in your home.  Eliminate distractions such as knitting or TV to train your body to recognise the bed as a place to sleep.
• Switch off.  Literally!  More and more research is showing that using our phones, tablets and laptops in bed can interfere with our ability to “switch off” psychologically.
• Declutter your space.  It is easier for your mind to relax when you are in a place that is clear of mess.
• Consider all of your senses.  Try aromatherapy, soft lighting and different bedding fabrics to relax you and help you to drift off to sleep.
• Get active.  Gentle exercise each day will vastly improve your quality of sleep compared to rarely moving from the couch.  Try to get 30 minutes walk, or throw some elbow grease into cleaning such as vacuuming or dusting!