Tamara Thomas

Urban Health Today

Middle-aged and older adults who frequently experience nightmares or distressing dreams may be at a higher risk of developing future cognitive decline and dementia, according to a study presented at the 10th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) in Helsinki, Finland.For this study, Dr.&nbsp; Abidemi Otaiku, from Imperial College London, and colleagues examined whether distressing dreams are associated with a decline in brain health as well as dementia in men and women in the general population without Parkinson&rsquo;s disease.The study included 605 middle-aged adults from the Midlife in the United States study who were followed for more than 13 years, and 2600 older adults from the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study and the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures, who were followed for more than 7 years.According to the study findings, middle-aged adults who reported having weekly distressing dreams had a 4-fold higher risk of experiencing cognitive decline compared to those who had no distressing dreams.&nbsp;Similarly, older adults who reported having distressing dreams have more than 2.3x higher risk of dementia than adults who don&rsquo;t.The researchers noted that stress, depression, frightening content in movies, and genetics play a role in triggering distressing dreams.&ldquo;Recent research has shown that some people have a set of genes that makes them prone to nightmares,&rdquo; Dr. Otaiku said. &ldquo;Other studies show that people who have parents who have nightmares are more likely to have them, too.Dr. Otaiku further explained that the relationship between nightmares and brain conditions such as Parkinson&rsquo;s disease, already demonstrated by previous studies, can help predict other conditions like lupus and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in childhood.&nbsp;&ldquo;Nightmares have a very strong link with many brain and other conditions, and I strongly believe that nightmares should be asked about more often by physicians,&rdquo; he said.The researchers also call on people experiencing nightmares to talk to a physician about their concerns, as this can impact their quality of life.&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t leave your nightmares untreated, and talk to your GP about it,&rdquo; he concluded.Source:<a href="https://www.ean.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ean/congress-2024/Press_2024/EAN_2024_Press_Pack_V2.pdf#xd_co_f=YTI2Zjc4YzYtMDExZi00YjQ1LWExMmItY2VkYzVkOTMzNWVj~"> EAN Press Release</a>

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Nightmares in Midlife Could Indicate Future Cognitive Decline, Dementia, Study Suggests

Neurology

Study results revealed middle-aged adults who have distressing dreams had a 4-fold higher risk of experiencing cognitive decline compared to those who had no distressing dreams.

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