Frequent "bad dreams" in middle age could be a sign of dementia "several years or decades before a clinical diagnosis" or memory problems, according to new research.
Most people experience distressing dreams at some point, but only 5% of adults suffer nightmares bad enough to break their sleep at least once a week, with more experiencing them monthly. In recent years, researchers have paid more attention to the link between nightmares and cognitive decline, such as in people with Parkinson's disease.
But the authors of a paper published in The Lancet medical journal, eClinicalMedicine, this month say it's surprising the "clinical significance [of nightmares] remains largely unknown". Although "distressing dreams remain relatively stable throughout early adulthood" before increasing in prevalence from middle age, their study found older are twice who experience bad dreams on a weekly basis are twice as likely to be diagnosed with dementia.
