Brain cells get affected with age. This leads to cerebral atrophy, which causes the brain to lose neurons. People with these conditions take more naps during the day, making it more difficult to sleep at night.
With age, fatigue in the body increases and night sleep decreases. Often, due to not getting enough sleep at night, one has to face headaches and frequent naps during the day. Generally, elders in the house sleep for some time during the day. But is this completely normal? If you are facing fatigue and sleepiness during day time as you grow older, then this can also be an early symptom of dementia. Know some more signs of dementia and ways to avoid it (tips to deal with dementia).
According to a new study published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, older people who sleep excessively during the day or who have serious sleep-related problems. They have an increased risk of Motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR), which can increase the risk of pre-dementia.
What is the relation between sleep and dementia?
According to the National Institute of Health, according to the research of 2019, those people who are victims of LBD i.e. Lewy Body Dementia. They are more than twice as likely to fall asleep during the day than other people. Actually, the problem of LBD starts increasing due to the accumulation of a protein called alpha synuclein in the brain. People with these conditions take more naps during the day, making it more difficult to sleep at night.
In this regard, psychiatrist Dr. Yuvraj Pant says that brain cells get affected with age. This leads to cerebral atrophy, due to which the brain starts losing neurons. Due to this, concentration starts decreasing and the problem of forgetting things increases. In such a situation, due to the brain not being alert, the symptoms of dementia start increasing.
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Know the symptoms of dementia (Signs of dementia)
- frequent sleep naps
- increased difficulty in communication
- Lack of concentration and inability to focus on things
- suffering from mood swings
- asking the same question every now and then and understanding
Know here the ways to reduce the risk of dementia (Tips to deal with dementia)
1. Increase Melatonin Levels
According to the National Institutes of Health, melatonin helps in maintaining regular body temperature, blood pressure and glucose levels. Apart from this, it is also easy to increase the quality of sleep at night and keep the body active during the day. For this, consume foods rich in tryptophan or melatonin. Actually, the amino acid tryptophan increases the production of serotonin hormone in the body. Due to this, the production of melatonin starts increasing. For this, consume eggs, fish, dry fruits and cherries in your diet.
2. Stay engaged in brain activity
Instead of spending time sitting idle, try to keep yourself busy in some work or the other. This increases mental activity, which boosts brain health and the problem of daytime sleepiness can be avoided. Also, meditating on any task increases focus and also provides relief from lack of concentration.
3. Keep reading and writing
Try to spend most of your time reading and writing. Due to this, brain muscles become active and their efficiency starts increasing, due to which sleep can be avoided. Reading increases the capacity to remember things. Due to this, the level of hormones starts increasing and the body remains active.
4. Consume Omega 3 Fatty Acids
To keep the brain active, include Omega 3 fatty acids in the diet. This reduces the risk of stress, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and dementia. According to FDA, 3 grams of Omega 3 fatty acids should be consumed daily. This provides relief from mood swings and reduces mental stress. For this, include nuts and seeds in the diet.
5. Maintain physical activity
Apart from improving muscle health, working out also improves mental health. Those people who are suffering from mental disorder, they must do exercise. This keeps the body healthy and active. Along with this, hormonal balance is maintained.
