When I was a little girl, I would often wake up in the wee hours of the night, to find my father sitting, reading or studying at the large wooden table in our kitchen. He was endlessly curious, and over the years, his many interests included sailing, photography, Japanese gardens and the study of foreign languages. He also learned to play and master many instruments including the clarinet, saxophone, flute, guitar, cello and bagpipes.
I would tiptoe into the kitchen, give him a big hug and after a few minutes of watching him read or work, I’d go back to bed after giving him one last hug. I loved finding him there. It made me feel safe and I liked knowing I wasn’t the only one awake in the middle of the night.
As I got older and started going out with my friends, it wasn’t uncommon for me to find him in the kitchen as I came in after a late night, enjoying a middle-of-the-night cup of tea, or a very early morning cup of coffee if I had been out particularly late. (Note: He was much more lax about curfews than my mother was, and would simply peer at me over his glasses, with a smirk and say, “Bonjour.” To which I’d respond, “Bonne nuit,” with a wink, and give him a smooch on the forehead before heading to bed.)
Little did I know, that his sleeplessness might have some correlation with the memory loss he would one day experience. My father has Alzheimer’s Disease. He was diagnosed about 5 years ago and we have watched the disease slowly strip away every one of his many talents, reading and life skills and turn something as simple as getting dressed in the morning, into a struggle. It’s heartbreaking to watch from afar, and devastating for my mother who lives with the ramifications of my father’s disease every day.
A recent study published by the American Academy of Neurology, has found that a higher risk of Alzheimer’s Disease is significantly associated with being a morning person or by people who self-identify as having a shorter sleep duration than most. Needless to say, having been sleepless for great stretches of my life, and being acutely aware of my father’s unusual sleep patterns, the thought that my recurring “shorter sleep duration” coupled with whatever genetic predisposition I may have to develop Alzheimer’s, gives me pause.
This study’s not the first to identify a potential link between sleeplessness and Alzheimer’s Disease. There’s a growing body of research showing that disturbed sleep could actually be a cause of dementia. A 2017 study, also by the American Academy of Neurology, showed a connection between chronic sleep disruption and the development of beta amyloid plaques.
Amyloid is a general term for protein fragments that the body produces normally. In a healthy brain, those protein fragments are broken down and eliminated. In Alzheimer’s Disease, the pieces of this sticky protein clump together to form hard, insoluble plaques and tangles. And once pieces or clumps of beta amyloid protein start to build up they block the nerve cells’ ability to signal to each other at the synapses, and cause the cells to degrade and die.
The American Academy of Neurology researchers aren’t the only ones interested in the relationship between sleeplessness and dementia. Other studies, like the 2018 study on beta-amyloids by the National Institute of Health, have also shown a connection between chronic insomnia and the development of amyloid plaques. So, although sleeplessness doesn’t necessarily lead to dementia, it’s yet one more potential long-term effect of sleeplessness.
That said, if you’re sleepless, or an early riser, don’t jump to conclusions. “Not everyone with sleep problems is destined to develop Alzheimer’s disease, ” said Barbara Bendlin, who is an associate professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, to The New York Times. “We’re looking at groups of people, and over the whole group we find the association of poor sleep with the markers of Alzheimer’s. But when you look at individuals, not everyone shows that pattern.”
It’s also important to note that the link between sleep disorders and Alzheimer’s risk is considered by many scientists to be “bidirectional.” It’s not unlike the chicken/egg conundrum. Sleep disorders and Alzheimer’s tend to go hand in hand and scientists can’t entirely prove which came first. While some sleep disorders could be one of the factors leading to Alzheimer’s, it’s also entirely possible that some sleep disorders are caused by a very early manifestation of the disease.
The good news is that people might be able to reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s by making sure they get high-quality sleep. The brain waves generated during deep sleep trigger a cleaning system in the brain that protects it against Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Researchers are working on establishing a clear correlation between disrupted sleep patterns and a higher risk for Alzheimer’s and they’re seeking evidence that if these high-risk people improve their sleep, that risk falls. Nora Volkow, a psychiatry researcher and director of the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse, measured baseline amyloid levels in the brains of 20 healthy people ages 22 to 72 years, then scanned their brains again after each had a good night’s sleep and again after each was kept awake for about 31 hours straight. After a loss of sleep, levels of amyloid were 5% more than after a sufficient amount of sleep. From that we can surmise that if sleep-deprivation is harmful, actively promoting good sleep habits could be a way to prevent disease and keep us healthy.
Needless to say, these latest findings have only strengthened my resolve to find new and inventive (natural, narcotic-free) ways to manage or, better yet, eliminate sleeplessness.
As for my father, the disease has taken so much of him already, a change in sleep habits would do little to help him at this point. Interestingly, now that he is no longer at the mercy of his beautiful, constantly-churning mind, he is sleeping better.
If you’re concerned that you may be at risk for Alzheimer’s Disease either because of sleeplessness, genetics or both, consult your primary care giver. They’ll give you a physical exam and ask you questions about your family history and about your own assessment of your memory. They may also administer cognitive tests to measure your ability to think. Those focus on things like memory, counting, reasoning, and language skills.
If you’re avoiding hospitals because of the risks associated with contracting Covid-19, there are a number of options online. I tried Practical Psychology’s free online test and scored 100 points out of a possible 142. It took about 5 minutes and I received the results immediately. According to the follow-up e-mail I received, that means I scored in the 90-100th percentile which is pretty good – I think. Now that I know what to expect, I think I might be able to do a little better if I tried it again.( Which probably defeats the purpose. lol..)
Do any of your relatives suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease? What were their sleep patterns like before the disease manifested itself?
Have you tried the test? How’d you make out?
You might also like: Je t’aime Papa – An Open Letter To My Father