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window.tmntag.cmd) { tmntag.cmd.push(function () { tmntag.adTag('Purch_Y_L_1_1', false); }); } </script> </div> </span> <main id="main" class="site-main w-full max-w-science mx-auto text-light-black pl-4 pr-4 pt-5 sm:pt-9 !mt-0 mb-5 sm:mb-9"> <div class="grid lg:grid-cols-container gap-7"> <section class="col-span-container"> <article id="post-143064" class="bg-white post-143064 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-health tag-msft-content"> <h1 class="text-h2 sm:text-h1 font-source-sans font-semibold text-legibility block mb-4">An Early Sign of Dementia Risk May Be Keeping You Up at Night, Says Study</h1> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center mb-4"> <a class="article-cat text-body-sm sm:text-body-md uppercase font-source-sans font-semibold text-legibility inline-block mr-3" href="https://www.sciencealert.com/health" style="color: #0074c7">Health</a><span class="article-date text-body-xs sm:text-body-sm text-gray-500 block mr-3">11 November 2024</span><div class="author-details "><span class="inline-block mr-1 text-gray-500 text-body-sm sm:text-body-md">By </span><span class="text-gray-500 text-body-sm sm:text-body-md uppercase inline">Abidemi Otaiku, The Conversation</span></div> </div> <div class="w-full h-auto featured-image"> <img width="642" height="260" src="https://www.sciencealert.com/images/2022/09/WomanInBedWithEyesOpenAndCoversPulledUpToHerEyes-642x260.jpg" class="w-full h-auto lg:object-cover wp-post-image" alt="A woman in bed with her eyes open and her blanket pulled up past her nose." loading="eager" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://www.sciencealert.com/images/2022/09/WomanInBedWithEyesOpenAndCoversPulledUpToHerEyes-642x260.jpg 642w, https://www.sciencealert.com/images/2022/09/WomanInBedWithEyesOpenAndCoversPulledUpToHerEyes.jpg 1024w, https://www.sciencealert.com/images/2022/09/WomanInBedWithEyesOpenAndCoversPulledUpToHerEyes-768x311.jpg 768w, https://www.sciencealert.com/images/2022/09/WomanInBedWithEyesOpenAndCoversPulledUpToHerEyes-600x243.jpg 600w" sizes="(-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2) 50vw, (min-resolution: 192dpi) 50vw, (min-resolution: 2dppx) 50vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 3) 33.33vw, (min-resolution: 288dpi) 33.33vw, (min-resolution: 3dppx) 33.33vw" /> <span class="img-caption w-full border-b border-gray-200 text-left font-normal text-gray-500 block py-0.5"> <span class="ccfic-source">(Axel Bueckert/EyeEm/Getty Images)</span> </span> </div> <div class="entry-content pt-4"> <div class="post-content"> <p>We spend a third of our lives asleep. And a quarter of our time asleep is spent dreaming. So, for the average person alive in 2022, with a life expectancy of around <a href="https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/mortality-and-global-health-estimates/ghe-life-expectancy-and-healthy-life-expectancy">73</a>, that clocks in at just over six years of dreaming.</p><div class="ad-slot--container ad-slot--container-content ad-slot--container-content-1 Purch_Y_C_0_1-container"> <div class="ad-slot priad-1 ad-slot--content-1 Purch_Y_C_0_1" id="Purch_Y_C_0_1"></div> <script> if ('undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag && 'undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag.cmd) { tmntag.cmd.push(function () { tmntag.adTag('Purch_Y_C_0_1', false); }); } </script> </div> <p>Yet, given the central role that dreaming plays in our lives, we still know so little about why we dream, how the brain creates dreams, and importantly, what the significance of our dreams might be for our health – especially the health of our brains.</p><div class="ad-slot--container ad-slot--container-content ad-slot--container-content-2 Purch_Y_C_0_2-container"> <div class="ad-slot ad-slot--content ad-slot--content-2 Purch_Y_C_0_2" id="Purch_Y_C_0_2"></div> <script> if ('undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag && 'undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag.cmd) { tmntag.cmd.push(function () { tmntag.adTag('Purch_Y_C_0_2', false); }); } </script> </div> <p>My 2022 study, published in <em>The Lancet's</em> <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(22)00370-4/fulltext"><em>eClinicalMedicine</em> journal</a>, showed that our dreams can reveal a surprising amount of information about our brain health.</p><div class="ad-slot--container ad-slot--container-content ad-slot--container-content-3 Purch_Y_C_0_3-container"> <div class="ad-slot ad-slot--content ad-slot--content-3 Purch_Y_C_0_3" id="Purch_Y_C_0_3"></div> <script> if ('undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag && 'undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag.cmd) { tmntag.cmd.push(function () { tmntag.adTag('Purch_Y_C_0_3', false); }); } </script> </div> <p>More specifically, it showed that having frequent bad dreams and nightmares (bad dreams that make you wake up) during middle or older age, may be linked with an increased risk of developing <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dementia/symptoms/">dementia</a>.</p><div class="ad-slot--container ad-slot--container-content ad-slot--container-content-4 Purch_Y_C_0_4-container"> <div class="ad-slot ad-slot--content ad-slot--content-4 Purch_Y_C_0_4" id="Purch_Y_C_0_4"></div> <script> if ('undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag && 'undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag.cmd) { tmntag.cmd.push(function () { tmntag.adTag('Purch_Y_C_0_4', false); }); } </script> </div> <p>In the study, I analyzed data from three large US studies of health and aging. These included over 600 people aged between 35 and 64, and 2,600 people aged 79 and older.</p><div class="ad-slot--container ad-slot--container-content ad-slot--container-content-5 Purch_Y_C_0_5-container"> <div class="ad-slot ad-slot--content ad-slot--content-5 Purch_Y_C_0_5" id="Purch_Y_C_0_5"></div> <script> if ('undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag && 'undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag.cmd) { tmntag.cmd.push(function () { tmntag.adTag('Purch_Y_C_0_5', false); }); } </script> </div> <p>All the participants were dementia-free at the start of the study and were followed for an average of nine years for the middle-aged group and five years for the older participants.</p><div class="ad-slot--container ad-slot--container-content ad-slot--container-content-6 Purch_Y_C_0_6-container"> <div class="ad-slot ad-slot--content ad-slot--content-6 Purch_Y_C_0_6" id="Purch_Y_C_0_6"></div> <script> if ('undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag && 'undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag.cmd) { tmntag.cmd.push(function () { tmntag.adTag('Purch_Y_C_0_6', false); }); } </script> </div> <p>At the beginning of the study (2002-12), the participants completed a range of questionnaires, including one which asked about how often they experienced bad dreams and nightmares.</p><figure id="attachment_143068" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-143068" style="width: 642px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" src="https://www.sciencealert.com/images/2024/11/nightmare_hands.jpg" alt="man in bed surrounded by hands" width="642" height="348" class="wp-image-143068 size-full" srcset="https://www.sciencealert.com/images/2024/11/nightmare_hands.jpg 642w, https://www.sciencealert.com/images/2024/11/nightmare_hands-600x325.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 642px) 100vw, 642px" loading="lazy"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-143068" class="wp-caption-text">Frequent nightmares could be a sign of declining mental health. (Kirk Marsh/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure><p>I analyzed the data to find out whether participants with a higher frequency of nightmares at the beginning of the study were more likely to go on to experience cognitive decline (a fast decline in memory and thinking skills over time) and be diagnosed with dementia.</p><div class="ad-slot--container ad-slot--container-content ad-slot--container-content-7 Purch_Y_C_0_7-container"> <div class="ad-slot ad-slot--content ad-slot--content-7 Purch_Y_C_0_7" id="Purch_Y_C_0_7"></div> <script> if ('undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag && 'undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag.cmd) { tmntag.cmd.push(function () { tmntag.adTag('Purch_Y_C_0_7', false); }); } </script> </div> <h2>Weekly nightmares</h2><p>I found that middle-aged participants who experienced nightmares every week, were four times more likely to experience cognitive decline (<a href="https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/alz.12704">a precursor to dementia)</a> over the following decade, while the older participants were twice as likely to be diagnosed with dementia.</p><div class="ad-slot--container ad-slot--container-content ad-slot--container-content-8 Purch_Y_C_0_8-container"> <div class="ad-slot ad-slot--content ad-slot--content-8 Purch_Y_C_0_8" id="Purch_Y_C_0_8"></div> <script> if ('undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag && 'undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag.cmd) { tmntag.cmd.push(function () { tmntag.adTag('Purch_Y_C_0_8', false); }); } </script> </div> <p>Interestingly, the connection between nightmares and future dementia was much stronger for men than for women.</p><div class="ad-slot--container ad-slot--container-content ad-slot--container-content-9 Purch_Y_C_0_9-container"> <div class="ad-slot ad-slot--content ad-slot--content-9 Purch_Y_C_0_9" id="Purch_Y_C_0_9"></div> <script> if ('undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag && 'undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag.cmd) { tmntag.cmd.push(function () { tmntag.adTag('Purch_Y_C_0_9', false); }); } </script> </div> <p>For example, older men who had nightmares every week were five times more likely to develop dementia compared with older men reporting no bad dreams.</p><div class="ad-slot--container ad-slot--container-content ad-slot--container-content-10 Purch_Y_C_0_10-container"> <div class="ad-slot ad-slot--content ad-slot--content-10 Purch_Y_C_0_10" id="Purch_Y_C_0_10"></div> <script> if ('undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag && 'undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag.cmd) { tmntag.cmd.push(function () { tmntag.adTag('Purch_Y_C_0_10', false); }); } </script> </div> <p>In women, however, the increase in risk was only 41 percent. I found a very similar pattern in the middle-aged group.</p><div class="ad-slot--container ad-slot--container-content ad-slot--container-content-11 Purch_Y_C_0_11-container"> <div class="ad-slot ad-slot--content ad-slot--content-11 Purch_Y_C_0_11" id="Purch_Y_C_0_11"></div> <script> if ('undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag && 'undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag.cmd) { tmntag.cmd.push(function () { tmntag.adTag('Purch_Y_C_0_11', false); }); } </script> </div> <p>Overall, these results suggest frequent nightmares may be one of the earliest signs of dementia, which can precede the development of memory and thinking problems by several years or even decades – especially in men.</p><div class="ad-slot--container ad-slot--container-content ad-slot--container-content-12 Purch_Y_C_0_12-container"> <div class="ad-slot ad-slot--content ad-slot--content-12 Purch_Y_C_0_12" id="Purch_Y_C_0_12"></div> <script> if ('undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag && 'undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag.cmd) { tmntag.cmd.push(function () { tmntag.adTag('Purch_Y_C_0_12', false); }); } </script> </div> <p>Alternatively, it is also possible that having regular bad dreams and nightmares might even be a cause of dementia.</p><div class="ad-slot--container ad-slot--container-content ad-slot--container-content-13 Purch_Y_C_0_13-container"> <div class="ad-slot ad-slot--content ad-slot--content-13 Purch_Y_C_0_13" id="Purch_Y_C_0_13"></div> <script> if ('undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag && 'undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag.cmd) { tmntag.cmd.push(function () { tmntag.adTag('Purch_Y_C_0_13', false); }); } </script> </div> <p>Given the nature of this study, it is not possible to be certain which of these theories is correct (though I suspect it is the former). However, regardless of which theory turns out to be true – the major implication of the study remains the same, that is, that having regular bad dreams and nightmares during middle and older age may be linked to an increased risk of developing dementia later in life.</p><div class="ad-slot--container ad-slot--container-content ad-slot--container-content-14 Purch_Y_C_0_14-container"> <div class="ad-slot ad-slot--content ad-slot--content-14 Purch_Y_C_0_14" id="Purch_Y_C_0_14"></div> <script> if ('undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag && 'undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag.cmd) { tmntag.cmd.push(function () { tmntag.adTag('Purch_Y_C_0_14', false); }); } </script> </div> <p>The good news is that recurring nightmares are <a href="https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.7178">treatable</a>. And the first-line medical treatment for nightmares has already been shown to decrease the build-up of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197458012004666?via%3Dihub">abnormal proteins</a> linked to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alzheimer%27s_disease">Alzheimer's disease</a>.</p><figure id="attachment_143082" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-143082" style="width: 642px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" src="https://www.sciencealert.com/images/2024/11/AmyloidPlaquesOnNeuron_R_U_642.jpg" alt="Illustration of yellow clumps on pink nerve cells" width="642" height="429" class="size-full wp-image-143082" srcset="https://www.sciencealert.com/images/2024/11/AmyloidPlaquesOnNeuron_R_U_642.jpg 642w, https://www.sciencealert.com/images/2024/11/AmyloidPlaquesOnNeuron_R_U_642-621x415.jpg 621w, https://www.sciencealert.com/images/2024/11/AmyloidPlaquesOnNeuron_R_U_642-600x401.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 642px) 100vw, 642px" loading="lazy"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-143082" class="wp-caption-text">Abnormal clumps of amyloid-beta proteins are linked to <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/go/IaO" class="lar_link lar_link_outgoing" data-linkid="73015" data-postid="143064" rel="nofollow" target="_self">Alzheimer's</a> disease. (<a href="https://www.canva.com/photos/MADq3y9cbGY/">Science Photo Library/Canva</a>)</figcaption></figure><p>There have also been <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.803220/full">case reports</a> showing improvements in memory and thinking skills after treating nightmares.</p><div class="ad-slot--container ad-slot--container-content ad-slot--container-content-15 Purch_Y_C_0_15-container"> <div class="ad-slot ad-slot--content ad-slot--content-15 Purch_Y_C_0_15" id="Purch_Y_C_0_15"></div> <script> if ('undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag && 'undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag.cmd) { tmntag.cmd.push(function () { tmntag.adTag('Purch_Y_C_0_15', false); }); } </script> </div> <p>These findings suggest that treating nightmares might help to slow cognitive decline and to prevent dementia from developing in some people. This will be an important avenue to explore in future research.</p><div class="ad-slot--container ad-slot--container-content ad-slot--container-content-16 Purch_Y_C_0_16-container"> <div class="ad-slot ad-slot--content ad-slot--content-16 Purch_Y_C_0_16" id="Purch_Y_C_0_16"></div> <script> if ('undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag && 'undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag.cmd) { tmntag.cmd.push(function () { tmntag.adTag('Purch_Y_C_0_16', false); }); } </script> </div> <p>The next steps for my research include investigating whether nightmares in young people might also be linked to increased dementia risk. This could help to determine whether nightmares cause dementia, or whether they are simply an early sign in some people.</p><div class="ad-slot--container ad-slot--container-content ad-slot--container-content-17 Purch_Y_C_0_17-container"> <div class="ad-slot ad-slot--content ad-slot--content-17 Purch_Y_C_0_17" id="Purch_Y_C_0_17"></div> <script> if ('undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag && 'undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag.cmd) { tmntag.cmd.push(function () { tmntag.adTag('Purch_Y_C_0_17', false); }); } </script> </div> <p>I also plan to investigate whether other dream characteristics, such as how often we remember our dreams and how vivid they are, might also help to determine how likely people are to develop dementia in the future.</p><p>The research might not only help to shed light on the relationship between dementia and dreaming, and provide new opportunities for earlier diagnoses – and possibly <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(20)30367-6/fulltext">earlier interventions</a> – but it may also shed new light on the nature and function of the mysterious phenomenon that we call <a href="https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-do-we-dream/">dreaming</a>.<img decoding="async" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/191016/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" referrer-policy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" loading="lazy"> </p><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/abidemi-otaiku-1352101">Abidemi Otaiku</a>, NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow in Neurology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-birmingham-1138">University of Birmingham</a></em></p><div class="ad-slot--container ad-slot--container-content ad-slot--container-content-18 Purch_Y_C_0_18-container"> <div class="ad-slot ad-slot--content ad-slot--content-18 Purch_Y_C_0_18" id="Purch_Y_C_0_18"></div> <script> if ('undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag && 'undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag.cmd) { tmntag.cmd.push(function () { tmntag.adTag('Purch_Y_C_0_18', false); }); } </script> </div> <p><strong>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/nightmares-are-a-good-predictor-of-future-dementia-new-study-191016">original article</a>.</strong></p><p><em>An earlier version of this article was published in September 2022.</em></p> </div> </div> </article> <div id="taboola-below-article-thumbnails-2nd"></div> <script type="text/javascript"> window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-b', container: 'taboola-below-article-thumbnails-2nd', placement: 'Below Article Thumbnails 2nd', target_type: 'mix' }); </script>  </section> <aside class="hidden lg:block col-span-sidebar sidebar-gap" data-sticky-container> <div class="ad-slot--container ad-slot--container-mrec ad-slot--container-mrec-1 Purch_D_R_0_1-container"> <div class="ad-slot ad-slot--mrec ad-slot--mrec-1 Purch_D_R_0_1" id='Purch_D_R_0_1'></div> <script> if ('undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag && 'undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag.cmd) { tmntag.cmd.push(function () { tmntag.adTag('Purch_D_R_0_1', false); }); } </script> </div>  <div class="block pt-2 border-t-3 border-sciencealert-yellow"> <span class="text-h2 font-source-sans font-semibold text-legibility block mb-7">Trending News</span> <div> <div class="trending-news__inner bg-white border-b border-gray-200 pb-3"> <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/dna-from-beethovens-hair-reveals-a-surprise-nearly-200-years-later" class="text-h5 font-source-sans font-semibold text-legibility inline-block"> DNA From Beethoven's Hair Reveals a Surprise Nearly 200 Years Later </a> <span class="flex items-center mt-2"> <a class="article-cat text-body-sm sm:text-body-md uppercase font-source-sans font-semibold text-legibility inline-block mr-3" href="https://www.sciencealert.com/humans" style="color: #8c16b7">Humans</a><span class="article-date text-body-xs sm:text-body-sm text-gray-500 block">6 days ago</span> </span> </div> <div class="trending-news__inner bg-white border-b border-gray-200 pb-3"> <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/an-early-sign-of-dementia-risk-may-be-keeping-you-up-at-night-says-study" class="text-h5 font-source-sans font-semibold text-legibility inline-block"> An Early Sign of Dementia Risk May Be Keeping You Up at Night, Says Study </a> <span class="flex items-center mt-2"> <a class="article-cat text-body-sm sm:text-body-md uppercase font-source-sans font-semibold text-legibility inline-block mr-3" href="https://www.sciencealert.com/health" style="color: #0074c7">Health</a><span class="article-date text-body-xs sm:text-body-sm text-gray-500 block">5 days ago</span> </span> </div> <div class="trending-news__inner bg-white border-b border-gray-200 pb-3"> <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/fda-to-finally-ban-controversial-ingredient-in-popular-decongestants" class="text-h5 font-source-sans font-semibold text-legibility inline-block"> FDA to Finally Ban Controversial Ingredient in Popular Decongestants </a> <span class="flex items-center mt-2"> <a class="article-cat text-body-sm sm:text-body-md uppercase font-source-sans font-semibold text-legibility inline-block mr-3" href="https://www.sciencealert.com/health" style="color: #0074c7">Health</a><span class="article-date text-body-xs sm:text-body-sm text-gray-500 block">5 days ago</span> </span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="sticky-ad-container"> <div class="sticky-ad"> <div class="ad-slot--container ad-slot--container-mrec ad-slot--container-mrec-2 Purch_D_R_0_2-container"> <div class="ad-slot ad-slot--mrec ad-slot--mrec-2 Purch_D_R_0_2" id='Purch_D_R_0_2'></div> <script> if ('undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag && 'undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag.cmd) { tmntag.cmd.push(function () { tmntag.adTag('Purch_D_R_0_2', false); }); } </script> </div>  </div> </div> <div class="sticky-ad"> <div class="sticky-el" data-sticky-class="is-stuck" data-margin-top="36"> <div class="ad-slot--container ad-slot--container-hpu ad-slot--container-hpu-3 Purch_D_R_0_3-container"> <div class="ad-slot ad-slot--hpu ad-slot--hpu-3 Purch_D_R_0_3" id='Purch_D_R_0_3'></div> <script> if ('undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag && 'undefined' !== typeof window.tmntag.cmd) { tmntag.cmd.push(function () { tmntag.adTag('Purch_D_R_0_3', false); }); } </script> </div>  </div> </div> </aside> </div> </main> <div id="theme-svg-footer" class="hidden"> </div> <script type="text/javascript"> window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ flush: true }); </script> <footer> <div id='Purch_Y_L_1_2'></div> </footer> <script type="text/javascript"> var _comscore = _comscore || []; _comscore.push({ c1: "2", c2: "10055482" }); (function () { var s = document.createElement("script"), el = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.async = true; s.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? 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