A new study has found that poor sleep quality may increase the risk of developing motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR), a condition that can precede dementia, in older adults.
Published in Neurology, the research shows that while poor sleep doesn’t seem to affect those who already have MCR, it may increase the likelihood of developing this syndrome in those who don’t already have it.
MCR is characterized by two main symptoms: slower walking speed and cognitive complaints, such as memory or attention issues. These symptoms, combined, make MCR a potential early sign of dementia.
To better understand the link between sleep and MCR, Dr. Victoire Leroy and her team at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York examined the sleep habits and cognitive health of 445 older adults over an average follow-up period of nearly three years.
The researchers assessed participants’ sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), a standard tool for measuring sleep-related issues. Based on their PSQI scores, the participants were categorized as either good or poor sleepers.
At the beginning of the study, none of the 403 participants had MCR. By the end, 36 of them had developed the condition.
The researchers found that poor sleepers were 1.6 times more likely to develop MCR than those with better sleep quality, though the strength of this association varied.
One specific aspect of poor sleep—daytime dysfunction, which includes feeling excessively sleepy or lacking enthusiasm during the day—was strongly associated with MCR.
Those with this type of daytime sleepiness were over three times as likely to develop MCR as those without it.
Interestingly, the study found no link between poor sleep and MCR in participants who already had the syndrome, suggesting that sleep issues may play a role in the development of MCR but not necessarily in its progression once it appears.
The researchers recommend further investigation into excessive daytime sleepiness as a potential modifiable risk factor for MCR, as improving daytime alertness might help lower the risk of developing this predementia condition.
These findings emphasize the importance of good sleep quality in older adults as a factor in maintaining cognitive health and reducing the likelihood of conditions that may lead to dementia.
If you care about dementia, please read studies about Vitamin B9 deficiency linked to higher dementia risk, and flavonoid-rich foods could help prevent dementia.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies that cranberries could help boost memory, and how alcohol, coffee and tea intake influence cognitive decline.
The research findings can be found in Neurology.
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