Posted by Heealthyou. Consumer Health Educator on Monday, July 29, 2013
Under: Mental health
Adequate sleep is important to maintain good health, but in later years it may be more important than you think. There is a lot of evidence to support it as important to both health and
longevity.
This time researchers linked sleep deprivation to an increased
risk for alzheimer's disease
According to a recent study sleep deprivation may increase the risk for
the disease and that sleepiness in the elderly could be an indication of
it.
The study involved 84 elderly adults 66-87 years of age, without memory
problems. Sleepiness was measured using questionnaires. The participants
were asked how likely they were to fall asleep during certain
activities. Brain activity was measured using magnetic resonance
imaging(MRI).
The sleepy participants showed less coordinated
activity in the parts of the brains that are active when at rest. The
findings indicate that sleep deprivation is a risk factor for alzheimer's