Health: Taking a regular afternoon nap of just five minutes can help prevent dementia

Regular afternoon naps – even for just five minutes a day – can improve your mental agility and help avoid dementia, study finds.

Chinese researchers studied the sleep patterns of 2,214 healthy adults aged 60 and over who lived in several major cities – including Beijing, Shanghai and Xian.

Of the participants, 1,534 reported taking a regular afternoon nap between five minutes and two hours, while the other 680 did not.

Each of the subjects also participated in a screening test for dementia – the results revealing “significant” differences between naps and not groups.

Sleeping in the afternoon was associated with better location awareness, improved fluency, and working memory in older adults.

As people get older, their sleep patterns change – and napping becomes more common.

Previous research has not been able to reach a consensus on whether the nap might help fight dementia or if it is in fact a symptom of it.

In the developed world, about 1 in 10 people over the age of 65 have dementia – the number increasing as global life expectancy increases.

Regular afternoon naps – even for just five minutes a day – can improve your mental agility and help stave off dementia, study reported (stock image)

“In addition to reducing drowsiness, mid-day naps offer a variety of benefits,” the researchers wrote in their article.

These, they explained, include “memory consolidation, preparation for later learning, improved executive functioning and a boost in emotional stability – but these effects have not been observed. in all cases”.

However, the team cautioned, the study could not establish a causal relationship between the nap and mental agility – and, further, noted that the study did not take into account the duration or the timing of naps, which could be important.

The team found, however, that those who took regular afternoon naps had higher levels of a fat called triglyceride in their blood – meaning napping is linked to associated risk factors for cardiovascular disease. , according to the study.

The researchers also put forward a few possible explanations for the results – including the theory that sleep regulates the body’s immune response and napping could be an evolved response to inflammation.

“People with higher inflammation levels also nap more frequently,” the researchers wrote in their article.

Chinese researchers found that afternoon sleep was associated with better location awareness, fluency in speech and working memory in older people (stock image)

“Scientists continue to work to unravel the relationship between sleep and dementia,” said Sara Imarisio, Alzheimer’s Research UK.

“Unusual sleep patterns are common in people with dementia, but research suggests that changes in sleep may be noticeable long before symptoms such as memory loss start to appear.

The authors “were not able to find out whether daytime naps directly affect memory and thinking, with research simply showing a connection between the two.”

“While other studies have also indicated a link between changes in sleep quality, a larger study examining a number of factors related to sleep, not just napping, is needed,” Dr. Imarisio added.

This, she said, “would paint a clearer picture of the link between dementia and sleep throughout the day.”

The full results of the study were published in the journal General Psychiatry.

WHAT IS DEMENTIA? THE KILLING DISEASE THAT ROBS SUFFER FROM THEIR MEMORIES

Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a range of neurological disorders

A GLOBAL CONCERN

Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a range of progressive neurological disorders (those affecting the brain) that impact memory, thinking, and behavior.

There are many types of dementia, of which Alzheimer’s disease is the most common.

Some people can have a combination of types of dementia.

Regardless of the type diagnosed, each person will experience their dementia in their own way.

Dementia is a global concern, but it is most commonly seen in wealthier countries, where people are likely to live very old.

HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED?

The Alzheimer Society reports that there are more than 850,000 people with dementia in the UK today, including over 500,000 with Alzheimer’s.

It is estimated that the number of people living with dementia in the UK by 2025 will rise to over one million.

In the United States, it is estimated that there are 5.5 million people with Alzheimer’s disease. A similar percentage increase is expected in the coming years.

As a person’s age increases, the risk of developing dementia also increases.

Diagnosis rates are improving, but it is believed that many people with dementia still go undiagnosed.

Is there a cure?

There is currently no cure for dementia.

But newer drugs can slow its progression and the earlier it is detected, the more effective the treatments.

Source: Alzheimer Society