[ad_1]
Taking a regular afternoon nap may be linked to better mental agility, study finds. Researchers found that afternoon sleep was associated with better location awareness, verbal fluency, and working memory in an aging Chinese population.
The study, published in an online journal General psychiatry, examined the sleep patterns of 2,214 healthy people aged 60 and over in several major cities in China, including Beijing and Shanghai. Of those who participated in the study, 1,534 took a regular afternoon nap between five minutes and two hours, while 680 did not.
Study participants were asked how often they napped during the week, with responses ranging from once a week to every day. The average duration of nighttime sleep was around 6.5 hours in both groups, although no information was taken on the length or exact timing of naps.
Learn more about sleep:
All of the participants took part in a dementia screening test to assess the cognitive functions of their brains in a number of areas. This revealed “significant” differences in location awareness, verbal fluency, and memory, with higher scores among the nap group.
“In addition to reducing drowsiness, mid-day naps offer a variety of benefits such as memory consolidation, preparation for later learning, improved executive functioning and a boost in stability. emotional, but these effects were not observed in all cases, ”the study concludes. .
However, the authors pointed out that research to date has failed to conclude whether afternoon naps prevent dementia and cognitive decline in older people, or whether they could be a symptom of dementia.
Dr Sara Imarisio, head of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Scientists continue to work to unravel the relationship between sleep and dementia. 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.
“In this study, scientists were unable to know whether daytime naps directly affect memory and thinking, with the 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 to paint a clearer picture of the link. between dementia and sleep throughout the day. “
Learn more about dementia:
People who used to nap in the afternoon were also found to have higher levels of triglycerides, a type of fat found in the blood, than their counterparts who did not take an afternoon nap. nap. Triglycerides can cross the blood brain barrier quickly and interfere with other key proteins. They have been reported to induce resistance to leptin and insulin, decreasing cognitive abilities.
Previous research has also linked napping to risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including age, triglycerides, blood pressure, and glucose levels. Thus, these increased levels can be a negative indicator of cardiovascular disease and capacity. Although comparatively higher, triglyceride levels were still in the normal range, which the researchers said could explain why cognitive function was not negatively affected.
The increase in life expectancy and the associated neurodegenerative changes that accompany it mean an increase in the number of people diagnosed with dementia. About 5-7% of people over 65 in the developed world have dementia.
The researchers said that one theory that could explain their findings is that sleep regulates the body’s immune response and that napping is considered an evolved response to inflammation. “People with higher levels of inflammation also nap more frequently,” the study said.
They also noted that there were variations in the observed benefits that need to be investigated in more detail. For example, longer naps were associated with a decline in cognitive function, while shorter (less than 30 minutes) and more frequent naps were associated with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
The authors intend to continue their research to understand the details of these associations and hope to publish more work with this cohort in the future.
Questions and Answers to Readers: Does Dreaming Affect the Quality of Our Sleep?
Asked by: Ashley Martin, Hampshire
Research suggests that having frequent nightmares is associated with poorer subjective quality of sleep. Nightmares can cause anxiety, making it harder to return to sleep, or falling asleep in the first place.
However, the link between dreaming and sleep quality goes both ways. We are more likely to remember a dream when we are awake from it, so if we sleep poorly and have multiple awakenings during the night, we may be more likely to remember the content of our dreams.
Read more:
[ad_2]
Source link