It appears that difficulty sleeping may be a warning sign of Alzheimer’s disease, as individuals who are ultimately diagnosed with Alzheimer’s typically struggle to fall and stay asleep years before cognitive symptoms begin to emerge.
Unfortunately, sleep disturbances related to Alzheimer’s disease are aggravated by poor sleep, which causes additional harmful alterations to the brain. Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine have discovered a potential strategy that may be able to break this vicious cycle.
According to a two-night study, participants who took a sleeping pill before bed observed a reduction in the levels of crucial proteins linked with Alzheimer’s disease. This is a positive development since an increase in these proteins is associated with the progression of the condition.
The study suggests that sleep medications may be able to slow or even halt the advancement of Alzheimer’s disease, but further investigation is necessary to verify the feasibility of such an approach. Suvorexant, the sleeping aid used in the study, is already approved by the FDA for treating insomnia. Senior author Brendan Lucey, MD, an associate professor of neurology and director of Washington University’s Sleep Medicine Center, stated that although this is a small, proof-of-concept study, the findings are extremely promising.
She cautioned, however, that it would be premature for people concerned about developing Alzheimer’s to use this as a reason to begin taking suvorexant nightly because long-term usage effectiveness in preventing cognitive decline is unknown, and if it is effective, at what dosage and for whom.
There are several ways to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease. A doctor’s examination is frequently employed to detect the disease.
They will perform various tests and assess your symptoms and signs. Memory impairment, such as difficulty remembering events, difficulty concentrating, planning or problem-solving, problems completing daily tasks at home or work, confusion with location or passage of time, visual or spatial difficulties, such as not understanding distance in driving, language problems, such as word-finding difficulties or reduced vocabulary in speech or writing, poor decision-making abilities, withdrawal from work or social events, and mood changes such as depression or other behavior and personality changes are among the early symptoms and signs of Alzheimer’s dementia listed by the Mayo Clinic.
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