Napping can help prevent Alzheimer’s disease

he Alzheimer’s disease This is the most common form of dementia. according to Spanish Society of NeurologyAnd In 2022 there will be about 800,000 people In Spain who suffered from this disease. Although no cure for dementia has been found and still exists IrreversibleScience never stops investigating treat and avoid it.

According to recent studies, he physical exercise It makes a good muscular structure is preserved for a longer period and prevents dementia. A new study found that there is Another habit that helps slow brain shrinkagewhich is faster in people with neurodegenerative diseases and can lead to a Mild cognitive impairment.

This custom – very common in Spain – is Short naps, no longer than 20 minutes to half an hour. According to research published in the journal ‘Sleep health“,” An association has been found between regular periods of daytime naps and increased brain volume, which may indicate this Napping regularly provides some protection against neurodegenerative diseases compensate for the lack of sleep. Dr. Victoria Garfield from University College London (UCL) And one of the study’s authors, says, “Short naps during the day may have helped preserve brain volume, which may have been beneficial to the brain.” It is a potential positive factor in the prevention of dementia“.

The relationship between napping and brain volume

The study conducted jointly with University of the Republic of Uruguaybased on data from UK biobank studywhich included information on More than 500,000 participants aged 40-69 lived in the UK between 2006 and 2010 To find out if a A combination of genetic variants previously associated with napping was also associated with brain size.

In this regard, the authors emphasized that “The relationship between napping and brain size is not well characterizedHowever, the study reflected this Only 5% admitted that they nap regularlyBefore 57% said “never” or “rarely” an act.

Despite the fact that at first it was believed that those who They took a nap It has a higher health risk if other characteristics such as smoking, age, or cardiovascular disease, are not taken into account when taking into account Genetic predisposition to napsthey realized People who slept regularly had smaller brains.

Brain age was measured as a reference brain volumeso the researchers found a similar relationship for those who have Between 2.6 and 6.5 years less. but, No differences were found in hippocampal volume essential for memory Visual processing and reaction time.

The study adds to other indicators that Sleep is important for brain health. However, neuroscientist Tara towers from the University of Edinburgh – who were not involved in the study – confirms this “has limitations”: Based on data from white Britons, the exact length of naps is not clear and there is no evidence of benefits seen in people without a genetic predisposition.

Other indicators of dementia

The researchers recommend a duration of, 30 minutes max. This information contradicts what was previously warned in other posts: Long naps may be an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease. But in addition to the size of the brain, there are other indicators of the emergence of a type of dementia in advanced ages.

For example, another study published in the journal ‘Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia, and Muscleshowed that slim -regardless of your lifestyle and genetic factor- They were more likely to develop dementia; So are the women who have it Less grip strength.

Specifically, women who showed weaker grip strength were obtained more than twice as likely to develop a dementia event when they were older; Like the participants Better results in TUGA test to measure the strength of a woman’s grip and the time it takes her to get up from a chair, walk three meters, turn around, and sit down again.

Another component that can affect the risk of dementia is: using the Internet. A recent study published in the journal ‘Journal of the American Geriatrics Association‘, that these people who passed Continuous for six to eight hours a day They presented a Increased risk of dementia. Researchers studied 18,154 adults between the ages of 50 and 65 who did not have dementia at the start of the study for eight years. However, the authors themselves admit this There are not enough numbers to draw a clear conclusion.