{"id":14811,"date":"2022-04-16T22:02:30","date_gmt":"2022-04-16T20:02:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disturbmenot.co\/?p=14811"},"modified":"2022-04-16T22:02:30","modified_gmt":"2022-04-16T20:02:30","slug":"alzheimers-speeds-up-changes-in-nap-duration-and-frequency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disturbmenot.co\/alzheimers-speeds-up-changes-in-nap-duration-and-frequency\/","title":{"rendered":"Alzheimer\u2019s Speeds up Changes in Nap Duration and Frequency"},"content":{"rendered":"

As we age, enjoying an afternoon catnap can become an ever more common occurrence. But can daytime napping be saying something about a person’s cognition?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to a study recently published in the journal <\/span>Alzheimer’s & Dementia<\/span><\/i><\/a>, the link between the two does exist, and it goes both ways.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Put simply, the results indicate that aging has an increasing effect both on the frequency and the duration of daytime naps, especially among people with Alzheimer’s.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On the other hand, increased frequency and duration of naps can point to a higher risk of developing this disorder.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Researchers think this link could be explained by <\/span>interferences with arousal<\/span><\/a> caused by neuronal loss and neurotransmitter deficits in WPNs (wake-promoting neurons).<\/span><\/p>\n

The authors focused on analyzing data from 1,401 people that took part in an observational study at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center. The average age of the participants was 81.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

All of them were required to spend up to two weeks with a wearable device named <\/span>Actical<\/span><\/i> on their wrist, which is how the data was retrieved. The devices helped identify the participants’ napping episodes, the duration and frequency of which were later calculated.<\/span><\/p>\n

The data analysis and year-to-year comparisons led to several curious observations:<\/span><\/p>\n