Recent Study Links Daytime Tiredness To Early Dementia Signs

Daytime tiredness is a potential early sign of a dementia diagnosis in the future, according to a new study.

The study, published on Nov. 6 in the journal Neurology, found that 35.5% of older adults who reported feeling tired throughout the day later developed motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR), a pre-dementia syndrome characterized by slow gait and cognitive complaints. Just 6.7% of those who did not report tiredness or lack of enthusiasm eventually had the same diagnosis.

The risk of developing dementia more than doubles in those with MCR, a syndrome first explored and studied in 2013. The findings of the recent study are based on 445 older adults with an average age of 76 in Westchester County, New York as part of the Central Control of Mobility and Aging study.

Those participating in the study walked on treadmills between 2011 and 2018 to monitor their original walking gaits. Researchers also collected data annually on sleep quality and quantity.

Older adults with sleep-related daytime dysfunction are at a higher risk of developing MCR, but the researchers said more study was needed to validate the relationship between sleep quality and the risk of developing MCR pre-dementia.

A total of 177 study participants were categorized as poor sleepers, while 268 were labeled good sleepers. When the study started, 42 people were identified to have MCR symptoms and 36 more people developed the syndrome as the study progressed.

In studying the results, the researchers found that people with excessive daytime tiredness and lack of enthusiasm for daytime tasks were more than three times as likely to develop MCR than those without reported sleep problems.

The post Recent Study Links Daytime Tiredness to Early Dementia Signs appeared first on Senior Housing News.