Disrupted Sleep Could Be First Sign Of Alzheimer's Disease, Research Suggests (PICTURES)

Research suggests that an early sign of dementia could be disrupted sleep patterns.

Findings published in JAMA Neurology highlight a potential link between sleep loss and brain plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease.

Sleep is disrupted in people who are likely have early Alzheimer's disease but do not yet have the memory loss or other cognitive problems characteristic of full-blown disease, explain researchers in a statement.

"This link may provide us with an easily detectable sign of Alzheimer's pathology," say researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine.

"As we start to treat people who have markers of early Alzheimer's, changes in sleep in response to treatments may serve as an indicator of whether the new treatments are succeeding."

More ways that sleep affects your wellbeing..

Health Benefits Of Sleep

Sleep Wipes Out Bad Memories(01 of05)

Having a good night's sleep helps wipe out bad memories and combat stress, scientists have discovered.Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, found that our brains process emotional experiences during the Rapid Eye Movement phase of sleep and this makes painful memories easier to deal with.Read the full story here... (credit:Alamy)

Sleep Helps You Eat Right(02 of05)

A recent study by the University of California discovered that sleep deprivation controls our food choices - possibly helping to explain the link between sleep loss and obesity. The study suggests that sleep loss may prevent the higher brain functions normally critical for making appropriate food choices, rather than necessarily changing activity in deeper brain structures that react to basic desire. (credit:Alamy)

Sleep Combats Anxiety(03 of05)

Research by the Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory at the University of California recently discovered that lack of sleep makes us more anxious during emotional events. The fMRI scans showed that sleep deprivation significantly amplified the build-up of anticipatory activity in deep emotional brain centres, especially the amygdala, a part of the brain associated with responding to negative and unpleasant experiences. (credit:Alamy)

Co-Sleeping Makes You Happy(04 of05)

Sleeping in bed with someone at night has psychological benefits, claim experts. A growing body of research claims the psychological benefits of being close to someone at night far outweighs the cons of sleeping with someone who has a case of the night time jiggles.Read the full story here... (credit:Alamy)

Sleeps Maintains Healthy Immune System(05 of05)

The body's natural 'circadian' clock determines whether we fall victim to illness, scientists have found after discovering a link between disrupted sleep patterns and the gene that controls the immune system.Read the full story here... (credit:Alamy)

For the study, 145 volunteers kept daily sleep diaries for two weeks, noting the time they went to bed and got up, the number of naps taken on the previous day, and other sleep-related information.

The researchers tracked the participants' activity levels using sensors worn on the wrist that detected the wearer's movements.

"Most people don't move when they're asleep, and we developed a way to use the data we collected as a marker for whether a person was asleep or awake," said Yo-El Ju, assistant professor of neurology, in a statement.

"This let us assess sleep efficiency, which is a measure of how much time in bed is spent asleep."

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Participants who had preclinical Alzheimer's disease had poorer sleep efficiency (80.4%) than people without markers of Alzheimer's (83.%).

On average, those with preclinical disease were in bed as long as other participants, but they spent less time asleep. They also napped more often.

"When we looked specifically at the worst sleepers, those with a sleep efficiency lower than 75%, they were more than five times more likely to have preclinical Alzheimer's disease than good sleepers," Ju said.

Early evidence also tentatively suggests that just as Alzheimer's plaques disrupt sleep, so a lack of sleep could promote Alzheimer's plaques.

"We think this may help us get a better feel for the way this connection flows — does sleep loss drive Alzheimer's, does Alzheimer's lead to sleep loss, or is it a combination?" Ju said.

"That will help us determine whether we can change the course of disease with pharmaceuticals or other treatments."

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