You sleep, you win: taking a regular afternoon nap of just five minutes can improve your mental alertness and help prevent dementia, study found
- Researchers studied the sleep patterns of more than 2,200 elderly Chinese
- Each participant also received a standardized dementia screening test
- Nappers obtained better scores in locational awareness, memory and verbal fluency
- However, the team cautioned that the study did not establish the cause
Regular afternoon naps – even just five minutes a day – can improve your mental alertness and help prevent dementia, a study reported.
Researchers in China studied the sleep patterns of 2,214 healthy adults aged 60 and over who lived in several major cities – including Beijing, Shanghai and Xi’an.
Of the participants, 1,534 reported taking a regular afternoon nap from five minutes to two hours, while the remaining 680 individuals did not.
Each of the subjects also participated in a dementia screening test – with the results revealing ‘significant’ differences between the sleeping and non-sleeping groups.
Sleeping in the afternoon was associated with better locational awareness, verbal fluency and working memory in the elderly.
As people age, their sleep patterns change – and napping becomes more common.
Previous research has failed to reach a consensus on whether napping can help fight dementia or whether it is in fact a symptom of it.
In the developed world, about 1 in 10 people over 65 have dementia – with the number increasing as global life expectancy increases.
Regular afternoon naps – even just five minutes a day – can improve your mental alertness and help prevent dementia, a study reported (stock image)
“In addition to reducing sleepiness, midday naps offer a variety of benefits,” wrote the researchers in their article.
This, they explained, included ‘consolidating memory, preparing for subsequent learning, improving executive functioning and increasing emotional stability – but these effects were not seen in all cases’.
However, the team warned, the study failed to establish a causal relationship between naps and mental alertness – and furthermore, it noted that the study did not take into account the duration or the duration of naps, which may be important.
The team found, however, that those who took regular naps in the afternoon had higher levels of a fat called triglyceride in their blood – meaning that napping is related to associated cardiovascular disease risk factors, the study said.
The researchers also presented some possible explanations for the findings – including the theory that sleep regulates the body’s immune response and that nap may be an evolved response to inflammation.
“Individuals with higher levels of inflammation also doze more often,” wrote the researchers in their article.
Researchers in China found that sleeping in the afternoon was associated with better locational awareness, verbal fluency and working memory in older adults (stock image)
“Scientists continue to work to unravel the relationship between sleep and dementia,” said Sara Imarisio of Alzheimer’s Research UK.
“Unusual sleep patterns are common for people with dementia, but research suggests that changes in sleep may be apparent long before any symptoms like memory loss start to appear.”
The authors “were unable to find out whether daytime napping directly affected memory and thinking, with the research only showing a connection between the two.”
“While other studies have also indicated a link between changes in sleep quality, a larger study is needed that looks at a number of factors related to sleep, not just naps,” added Dr. Imarisio.
This, she said, “would paint a clearer picture about 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 MURDERER’S DISEASE WHICH ROBS SUFFERS YOUR MEMORIES
Dementia is a generic term used to describe a range of neurological disorders
A GLOBAL CONCERN
Dementia is a generic term used to describe a range of progressive neurological disorders (those that affect the brain) that affect memory, thinking and behavior.
There are many different types of dementia, of which Alzheimer’s disease is the most common.
Some people may have a combination of types of dementia.
Regardless of the type diagnosed, each person will experience their dementia in a unique way.
Dementia is a global concern, but is most often seen in wealthier countries, where people are likely to live to a very old age.
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED?
The Alzheimer’s Society reports that there are more than 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK today, of which more than 500,000 have Alzheimer’s.
It is estimated that the number of people living with dementia in the UK in 2025 will increase to more than 1 million.
In the United States, it is estimated that there are 5.5 million people with Alzheimer’s. A similar percentage increase is expected in the coming years.
As a person’s age increases, the risk of developing dementia increases.
Diagnostic rates are improving, but it is believed that many people with dementia have not yet been diagnosed.
IS THERE A CURE?
There is currently no cure for dementia.
But new drugs can slow its progression, and the sooner it is detected, the more effective the treatments will be.
Source: Alzheimer’s Society