Study: Treatment of sleep disorders at the elderly helps prevent dementia

A recent study published in the American Academy or Neurosciences has shown that the treatment of sleep disorders in the elderly can help prevent ‘kinetic risk syndrome’ that can precede ‘dementia’, and note that the elderly who feel or lack enthusiasm to do their daily activities. The kinetic risk syndrome is defined as a condition that precedes dementia, and is slowly characterized by walking and feeling of memory problems, without clear motor disabilities or a diagnosis of dementia. Some scientists see this syndrome as a warning sign of the possibility of dementia later, as it is often found in the elderly and is accompanied by symptoms that indicate a slight functional decline, which can be the beginning of severe cognitive decline. The research shows a link between excessive drowsiness during the day and the lack of enthusiasm for daily activities and the kinetic risk syndrome. It is possible that these problems have a negative effect on the health of the brain, especially in the advanced time, which increases the chances of developing the syndrome. The treatment of sleep disorders and some researchers believe that treating sleep disorders can be an effective way to reduce the risk of dementia in the future. According to the study, this condition may be an early indication of the possibility of future dementia. The study was conducted at 445 participants, an average age of 76 years, and had no diagnosis of dementia. At the beginning of the study, participants were asked to answer questionnaires to evaluate their sleep quality, and their speed in the step was tested on the hiking device, and the evaluation was evaluated annually over a 3 -year period. The evaluation contains questions about the problems that participants face sleep, such as waking up in the middle of the night, the inability to sleep within 30 minutes, or a feeling of heat or cold, because they were asked during the day about drowsiness, such as the problems of staying awake while driving or eating, in addition to a question about enthusiasm to do daily activities. Among the participants, 177 people were defined as “bad sleep”, while 268 people are considered “good sleep”. At the beginning of the study, there were 42 participants who suffered from motor cognitive risk syndrome, and this syndrome developed in 36 others during the study period. The results showed that 35.5% of people suffering from drowsiness during the day and the lack of enthusiasm syndrome, compared to 6.7% of people who did not have these problems. Taking into account other factors that may affect the risk of syndrome, such as age, depression and other health conditions, it was found that people with drowsiness and lack of enthusiasm were three times more likely to develop the syndrome compared to others. The researchers believe that addressing sleep problems can help prevent cognitive decline in advanced stages of life, but although the study shows a relationship between sleep problems and the development of syndrome, it has not proven that sleep problems are a direct cause of the syndrome.