Having nightmares regularly? It could be linked to dementia

Do you have bad dreams regularly in your sleep? It could be a cause of concern.

Researchers have found that regular bad dreams in middle-aged people could be linked to an increased case of cognitive decline and they could be at a higher risk of developing dementia as they get older. The study investigated the association between self-reported distressing dream frequency and the risk of cognitive decline.

Published in the journal EClinicalMedicine, part of the Lancet Discovery Science, the study found that a higher frequency of distressing dreams was linearly and statistically significantly associated with a higher risk of cognitive decline amongst middle-aged adults.

The study could reveal new ways and strategies to analyze and screen the mental condition and establish the symptoms of dementia.

Dementia in itself is not a single disease, instead, it's a group of diseases that covers a wide range of specific medical conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease. According to the Alzheimer's Association, disorders that are grouped under the general term “dementia” are caused by abnormal brain changes, which trigger a decline in thinking skills, also known as cognitive abilities, severe enough to impair daily life and independent function.

"Given the ubiquity of bad dreams and nightmares (distressing dreams) in the adult population, it is surprising that their clinical significance remains largely unknown," the paper read, adding that the relationship between distressing dreams and clinical outcomes in people with Parkinson's disease (PD), has received increasing attention.

Researchers from the University of Birmingham analysed three studies that tracked 600 middle-aged adults (aged 35 to 64), and 2,600 people aged 79 and older and analysed their sleep quality and brain health.

They found that middle-aged people who experienced bad dreams at least once a week were about four times more likely to experience cognitive decline over the next decade than those who rarely had nightmares. The bad dream could be a result of poor sleep quality, which could lead to a buildup of proteins associated with dementia.

Lead author Abidemi I. Otaiku told The Guardian that neurodegeneration within the brain’s right frontal lobe makes it harder for people to control their emotions while dreaming, which in turn leads to nightmares. “The best way to deal with dementia is to prevent it from occurring, and we know that there are several modifiable risk factors poor diet, lack of exercise, smoking, and drinking too much alcohol,” Otaiku said.

While coronavirus cases are receding across the world, its aftermath is taking shape at both physical and mental levels. A new study reveals that a person going through phases of anxiety, depression, and loneliness before being infected by coronavirus has a much stronger chance of developing long Covid than those who have good mental health.

The study conducted by researchers at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health found that psychological distress before Covid-19 infection is associated with an increased risk of long Covid and it was independent of smoking, asthma, and other health behaviors or physical health conditions.

“We were surprised by how strongly psychological distress before a Covid-19 infection was associated with an increased risk of long Covid. Distress was more strongly associated with developing long Covid than physical health risk factors such as obesity, asthma, and hypertension,” Siwen Wang, a researcher in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard Chan School, and lead author of the study said.

WHAT IS LONG COVID?

Long Covid in the simplest terms refers to the long-term effects of the SARS-CoV-2, which causes coronavirus, on the body. According to the US-based Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it includes a wide range of ongoing health problems, which can last for days, weeks, and even months after you are diagnosed Covid negative.