A recent study discovered that irregular sleep pattern could be an early warning sign of dementia.
According to a study published in Neurology, people with weaker and fragmented circadian rhythms, the body’s internal clock regulating sleep, hormone release, and other functions have an increased risk of developing dementia.
The study tracked about 2,200 participants with an average age of 79, with none of the participant started to have dementia.
Each wore a small heart monitor for nearly 12 days to capture data on rest-activity patterns, then were followed for three years.
In that timeperiod, nearly 176 participants were diagnosed with dementia.
Participants were divided into groups depending on circadian rhythm strength. Nearly 727 in the weak rhythm group, 106 developed dementia, in contrast to 31 of 728 in the strong rhythm group. This corresponded to nearly a 2.5 times increased risk for those with weak rhythms.
Furthermore, scientists mentioned that people whose activity peaked later in the afternoon, at around 2:15 p.m. or later, were found to have a 45% increased dementia risk for people peaking between 1:11 p.m. and 2:14 p.m.
Lead researcher Wendy Wang of UT Southwestern Medical Center stated, “Disruptions in circadian rhythms may alter body processes like inflammation, and may interfere with sleep, possibly increasing amyloid plaques linked to dementia, or reducing amyloid clearance from the brain.”
Research underscores the significance of monitoring sleep patterns as part of early dementia prevention and awareness.
