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Feeling sleepy daytime could be a more serious problem for some groups.
A new study published in the journal Neurology revealed a possible link between daytime sleepiness in older people and dementia risk.
People who lack enthusiasm for activities and feel sleepy during the day appear to have a higher risk of developing a condition called motor cognitive risk syndrome (MCR).
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MCR can cause people to walk more slowly and have memory problems – and this can occur before dementia develops.
Researchers found that people with a lack of enthusiasm and daytime sleepiness are more than three times as likely to develop MCR. (iStock)
The study, led by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York, included 445 participants with an average age of 76 who did not have dementia.
Participants were asked about memory problems and walked on treadmills to assess their walking speed. This was repeated once a year for an average of three years.
The group also completed a sleep assessment to gauge sleep problems, patterns and medications.
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The researchers also tracked how often people had trouble staying awake while driving, eating, or socializing, and how often they had trouble maintaining their enthusiasm for daily tasks.
At baseline, 42 people had MCR, while a further 36 people developed the condition during the study.
After adjusting for factors such as age, depression and others health problemsResearchers found that people with a lack of enthusiasm and daytime sleepiness were more than three times as likely to develop MCR.
MCR can cause people to walk slowly and have memory problems. It can occur before dementia develops. (iStock)
These findings “highlight the need for screening for sleep problems,” study author Victoire Leroy, MD, PhD, of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New Yorkwrote in a press release.
“There is the potential that people can get help with their sleep problems and prevent cognitive decline later in life.”
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“More research needs to be done to look at the relationship between sleep problems and cognitive decline and the role that motor cognitive risk syndrome plays,” Leroy added.
The study had some limitations, the researchers noted.
It did not prove that sleep-related problems cause MCR, but only showed a link.
Participants also self-reported their own sleep information, leaving some room for bias.
Daytime sleep-related impairment remained a significant risk factor for MCR, even after adjustment for depression. (iStock)
Sleep expert Dr. Wendy Troxel, RAND Corporation senior behavioral specialist and graduate clinical psychologist in Utah, commented on the study in a conversation with Fox News Digital.
“There is the potential that people can get help with their sleep problems and prevent cognitive decline later in life.”
Because sleep problems and depression are “very closely linked,” it is “important to unravel whether their sleep problems uniquely contribute to MCR, above and beyond the effects of depression,” says Troxel, who was not involved in the study.
“The results showed that people with poor sleep quality were more likely to develop MCR, but this association was no longer significant when taking into account depression” she added.
One limitation of the study is that participants self-reported their own sleep information, the researchers added. (iStock)
According to Troxel, sleep-related daytime restrictions remained a significant risk factor for MCR, even after adjustment for depression.
“These findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that advertising sleep health may be an important strategy to reduce the risk of dementia and highlight the need for better screening and diagnosis of sleep disorders, such as insomnia and sleep apnea,” she said.
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These conditions are “prevalent and treatable” in both men and women, Troxel noted, but they remain “underdiagnosed and undertreated.”
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The study was supported by the National Institute on Aging.
Fox News Digital has contacted the study authors for comment.
Angelica Stabile is a lifestyle reporter for Fox News Digital.