One in three of us will develop dementia in our lifetime – a condition that slowly but surely devastates lives.
Science has made dramatic strides recently – with medications in several trials showing promise in slowing Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia.
But just as exciting is the growing body of new research focusing on ways to help prevent the brain from deteriorating in the first place.
The recent Lancet Commission Report found nearly half of dementia cases may in fact be preventable by taking simple, practical steps to improve the way you live your daily life. And it’s never too late to start.
Here, in the second and final part of our exclusive series, leading experts outline the four key lifestyle pillars that can help reduce your risk of developing dementia, keeping your brain fit and functional well into later life.
SLEEP
Consistently sleeping badly can play an important behind-the-scenes role in increasing your dementia risk.
Insomnia, poor quality sleep and sleep apnoea (a disorder linked to snoring) can make it likelier you will develop other serious health problems including type 2 diabetes, obesity, stroke and depression – all risk factors for dementia
Disruption to sleep patterns interferes with the brain’s ability to clear out toxins and the protein beta amyloid, linked to Alzheimer’s, as well as interfering with other processes that maintain brain health and memory, says Guy Leschziner, a professor of neurology and sleep medicine at Guys and St Thomas’s Hospitals in London and author of The Secret World Of Sleep. ‘But it’s complex – the precise mechanisms need more research,’ he says.
Research also shows that insomnia, poor quality sleep and 비닉스 가격 sleep apnoea (a disorder linked to snoring) can make it likelier you will develop other serious health problems including type 2 diabetes, 비닉스 사용법 obesity, stroke and depression – all risk factors for dementia.
Time to tackle snoring
If your snoring regularly bothers your partner at night, 비닉스 사용법 you might have obstructive sleep apnoea, a sleep disorder linked to an increased dementia risk. It’s estimated to affect up to 10 million people in the UK, according to the Sleep Apnoea Trust.
Sleep apnoea, where the muscles in your throat and neck relax when you are asleep, causes the airway to collapse, temporarily reducing or halting airflow.