Changes in a person’s sleeping pattern can be used to indicate various health conditions and body changes and recently it has been speculated that changes in sleep could be a potential sign of dementia too. Dr Neil Parrett, Clinical Psychologist and co-founder of The Live In Care Company says changes in sleep pattern could be a sign of 'disrupted brain pathways.
Dr Parrett said: “Changes to sleep cycles are common features of dementia and are likely related to disrupted brain pathways that regulate sleep-wake cycles. This is known by observing people who have a diagnosis of dementia, but what happens prior to diagnosis, is sleep important?
"It is known that good quality sleep is important for many things, including memory consolidation and clearing toxins, so it may be likely that poor sleep quality is a risk factor for developing dementia, but can we predict the onset of dementia by looking at changes to our sleep patterns?
"There are many different reasons why our sleep cycle can be disrupted, including psychological, chemical, hormonal and physical, which makes determining in advance whether sleep patterns may be a sign of dementia too difficult to tell. It is always a good idea to try to explore the causes of why your sleep may be disrupted, since getting good quality sleep is a vital part of a healthy lifestyle, so if you are worried about any changes to your sleep and you are unsure of why this is, then you can ask your doctor for more advice.”
