We all know that a good night’s sleep is needed if we want to be firing on all cylinders the next day – but for people living with dementia, it might be even more important.
A new study by academics in the UK has found that variations in sleep – such as sleeping too long, or waking up during the night – can affect Alzheimer’s sufferers more than people with mild or no cognitive impairment.
Sara Balouch, Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Brighton, and Derk-Jan Dijk, Professor of Sleep and Physiology and Director of Surrey Sleep Research Centre at the University of Surrey, examined 15 Alzheimer’s patients, eight people with mild cognitive impairments, and 22 people without cognitive impairment over two weeks.
The study had participants keep a sleep diary, and used activity monitors to measure how long they took to fall asleep and how long they slept during the night; then, when they woke up, participants were tested every morning on thinking ability and memory, and asked about their mood during the day and whether they’d experienced any memory problems.
“We found that greater sleep continuity (waking up fewer times during the night) was generally better for daytime performance. Participants with Alzheimer’s had improved alertness the next evening and made fewer memory errors during the day.
“Both participants with Alzheimer’s and mild cognitive impairment also had fewer observable behavioural problems (such as crying, aggression or asking repeated questions) the next day following higher sleep continuity,” the academics said in The Conversation.
Surprisingly, however, better sleep continuity caused more problems in calculation tests, which the researchers theorised may have been due to the tests being conducted in the morning when participants were still groggy.
While only a small study, the research does seem to indicate that a good night’s sleep can make it easier for people living with dementia the next day – so if we can help them sleep well, they may find themselves with a much better quality of life.
