A scientific study published in The Lancet in 2022 found that ‘distressing dreams’ could be a predictor of the condition in people with no prior cognitive problems
Health experts are warning that a “distressing” occurrence in your sleep could be a warning sign for a devastating neurological condition. Many of us suffer from sleeping issues at least once in our lives.
According to the NHS, one in three of us will experience some form of difficulty with sleep. But if you regularly suffer from nightmares it could be an early indicator for dementia.
A scientific study, published in The Lancet in 2022, concluded that “distressing dreams” could be a predictor of the condition in people with no prior cognitive problems. As part of the research, 605 middle-aged adults were evaluated and followed-up 13 years later.
On top of this, risk of incident all-cause dementia was evaluated in 2,600 older adults who were dementia-free to begin with, and were followed-up for up a maximum of seven years. Their sleeping habits were then matched against any dementia diagnoses that occurred.
Study authors noted: “After adjustment for all covariates, a higher frequency of distressing dreams was linearly and statistically significantly associated with higher risk of cognitive decline amongst middle-aged adults, and higher risk of incident all-cause dementia amongst older adults. Compared with middle-aged adults who reported having no distressing dreams at baseline, those who reported having weekly distressing dreams had a four-fold risk of experiencing cognitive decline.”
And in older adults, the difference in dementia risk was two-fold. However, the associations between distressing dreams and both cognitive outcomes were “only statistically significant amongst men”.
The team concluded: “Distressing dreams predict cognitive decline and all-cause dementia in middle-aged and older adults without cognitive impairment or Parkinson’s disease – especially amongst men. These findings may help to identify individuals at risk of dementia and could facilitate early prevention strategies.”
The Alzheimer’s Society also warns that people with dementia can experience something known as REM behavioural sleep disorder (RBD). This causes the person to physically act out their dreams when they go through phases of REM sleep.
“They may physically act out their dreams, which can be violent in nature and their arms and legs may flail around,” the charity says. “They may wake up suddenly and fall out of bed. If they are sleeping next to a partner, these involuntary movements can cause injury.”
This can result in tiredness during the day and can even be dangerous as people can fall out of bed. The NHS lists early symptoms of dementia as:
- Memory loss
- Difficulty concentrating
- Finding it hard to carry out familiar daily tasks, such as getting confused over the correct change when shopping
- Struggling to follow a conversation or find the right word
- Being confused about time and place
- Mood changes
If you or someone you know experiences symptoms of dementia, you should speak to a doctor.
