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Sleep, Cognition and Dementia.

Verna R Porter1, William G Buxton2, Alon Y Avidan3

  • 1Department of Neurology, UCLA Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 10911 Weyburn Ave., Suite 200, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-7226, USA. vporter@mednet.ucla.edu.

Current Psychiatry Reports
|October 20, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Sleep disorders are common in older adults, affecting cognition and potentially mimicking dementia. Addressing these sleep issues is crucial for improving quality of life and reducing caregiver burden.

Keywords:
AgingAlpha synucleinopathiesAlzheimer’s dementiaDementiaNeurodegenerative diseaseREM sleep behavior disorderSleepSleep disordersSun-downing

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Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Neurology

Background:

  • The global older adult population is rapidly expanding, with significant sleep dissatisfaction and disorders reported in both home-dwelling seniors and nursing home residents.
  • Sleep disturbances in the elderly, including insomnia and circadian rhythm issues, are often misdiagnosed as dementia due to overlapping symptoms like cognitive impairment and confusion.
  • Specific sleep disorders such as sleep disordered breathing, restless leg syndrome, and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) are prevalent and impact dementia patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the prevalence and impact of sleep disorders in the aging population.
  • To differentiate sleep disturbances from dementia symptoms and emphasize the importance of proper diagnosis.
  • To underscore the consequences of untreated sleep disorders on cognitive function, safety, and caregiver well-being.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review and synthesis of existing research on sleep disorders in older adults.
  • Analysis of the relationship between sleep disturbances and cognitive decline, particularly in the context of dementia.
  • Discussion of diagnostic criteria and evaluation methods for key sleep disorders, including polysomnography for RBD.

Main Results:

  • Sleep disorders significantly affect seniors, with nearly half of home-dwelling elderly and two-thirds of nursing home residents experiencing sleep problems.
  • Untreated sleep disorders can worsen cognitive and behavioral symptoms in dementia patients, leading to misdiagnosis and inadequate care.
  • Sleep disturbances are linked to increased injury risk, reduced quality of life, and substantial caregiver stress.

Conclusions:

  • Effective diagnosis and management of sleep disorders in older adults are essential for improving health outcomes and reducing the burden on patients and caregivers.
  • Recognizing sleep disorders as distinct from or exacerbating dementia is critical for appropriate clinical management.
  • Further research and clinical attention to sleep health in the aging population are warranted to mitigate negative consequences.