Bad dreams in middle age could be sign of dementia risk, study suggests

Data shows that people who experience frequent bad dreams in middle age are more likely to develop dementia as they get older.

New ways of screening for dementia and intervention to slow the rate of decline are possible if the research is confirmed.

Approximately 5% of adults experience nightmares at least once a week, but most people don't experience bad dreams. Stress, anxiety, and sleep deprivation are all possible causes of Parkinson's disease, but previous research has shown that distressing dreams can lead to cognitive decline and an increased risk of dementia in the future.

The data from three previous studies that examined people's sleep quality and then followed them over many years, assessing their brain health as well as other outcomes was used to investigate if the same could be said of healthy adults. More than 600 middle-aged adults were included.

Their data was analysed to find out if those who experienced more distressing dreams were more likely to end up with dementia.

Middle-aged people who have bad dreams at least once a week are four times more likely to experience cognitive decline over the next decade than people who don't have bad dreams. Elderly people who frequently reported distressing dreams were more likely to be diagnosed with dementia.

It is possible that people who have a lot of bad dreams have poor quality sleep, which could lead to a build up of Alzheimer's related genes. There is a genetic factor that supports both phenomena.

The working hypothesis is that the brain has a neurodegeneration that makes it hard for people to control their emotions while dreaming. Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease can begin many years before someone is diagnosed. Bad dreams and nightmares can be a sign of underlying disease in some people.

If the link is confirmed, bad dreams could be used to identify people at high risk of developing dementia.

Poor diet, lack of exercise, smoking, and drinking too much alcohol are some of the risk factors that can lead to Alzheimer's disease. "Otaku said" If we can identify people who are at high risk for getting dementia several years or even decades earlier, we might be able to slow it down or even prevent it.

Men were found to have stronger associations than women. Older men who experienced nightmares on a weekly basis were five times more likely to develop dementia than men who had no nightmares at all.

According to previous research, women are more likely to have nightmares than men in middle age, but men are more likely to have nightmares later in life. It's possible that dementia-linked nightmares are only those that develop during older age and that men are more prone to them.