Poor sleep pattern may increase risk of dementia

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Poor sleep pattern may increase risk of dementia

Sleep-disturbing conditions like emphysema and sleep apnea may raise the risk of developing dementia later in life, a new investigation shows.

Poor quality sleep and spending less time in deep sleep could cause brain changes, according to the study report in the Journal Neurology.

Researchers analyzed a cohort of 167 Japanese-American men with an average age of 84 based on a data including the men’s sleep patterns from the start of the study until their death.

The study found that the level of blood oxygen plays a significant role in forming brain alteration.

The research indicated that lower blood oxygen levels at night, due to sleep disturbances, made men more likely to have harmful brain changes than men with higher levels.

“These findings suggest that low blood oxygen levels and reduced slow wave sleep may contribute to the processes that lead to cognitive decline and dementia,” said the study author, Rebecca P. Gelber of the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System in the United States.

An earlier research conducted by the European investigators indicated that those who experienced the criteria for poor sleep health had a more rapid decline in brain volume than those who slept well.

Sleep could also help neurons form minuscule connections between brain cells, known as dendritic spines that may facilitate long-term memory.

Previous studies also unraveled that sleep could activate brain’s own network of plumbing pipes during which waste material is carried out of the brain.

Gelber and her team are planning to extend the investigation and find “whether or not getting more quality sleep or increasing blood oxygen levels could actually have the reverse effect on brain changes.”

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Poor sleep pattern may increase risk of dementia