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Bad dreams in middle age could be sign of dementia risk, study suggests
人到中年經(jīng)常做噩夢(mèng)？警惕或是癡呆癥前兆
People who experience frequent bad dreams in middle age may experience a faster rate of cognitive decline and be at higher risk of dementia as they get older, data suggests.
研究數(shù)據(jù)顯示，經(jīng)常做噩夢(mèng)的中年人隨著年齡的增長(zhǎng)認(rèn)知能力下降速度更快，患癡呆癥的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)也更高。
If confirmed, the research could eventually lead to new ways of screening for dementia and intervention to slow the rate of decline.
如果該研究結(jié)論得到證實(shí)，可能會(huì)出現(xiàn)癡呆癥篩查和干預(yù)的新方法，以減緩認(rèn)知能力退化的速度。
Most people experience bad dreams from time to time, but approximately 5% of adults experience nightmares – dreams distressing enough to wake them up – at least once a week. Stress, anxiety, and sleep deprivation are all potential triggers, but previous research in people with Parkinson’s disease has also linked frequent distressing dreams to faster rates of cognitive decline, and an increased risk of developing dementia in the future.
大多數(shù)人偶爾會(huì)做噩夢(mèng)，但大約5%的成年人每周至少做一次噩夢(mèng)（讓人驚醒的噩夢(mèng)）。壓力、焦慮和失眠都是潛在的觸發(fā)因素，但此前對(duì)帕金森病患者的研究也表明，頻繁的噩夢(mèng)與認(rèn)知能力下降速度加快以及未來(lái)患癡呆癥的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)增加有關(guān)。
To investigate whether the same might be true of healthy adults, Dr Abidemi Otaiku at the University of Birmingham turned to data from three previous studies that have examined people’s sleep quality and then followed them over many years, assessing their brain health as well as other outcomes. This included more than 600 middle-aged adults (aged 35 to 64), and 2,600 people aged 79 and older.
為了調(diào)查身體健康的成年人是否也存在同樣的情況，伯明翰大學(xué)的Abidemi Otaiku博士查閱了此前三項(xiàng)研究的數(shù)據(jù)，這些研究監(jiān)測(cè)了一些人的睡眠質(zhì)量，并對(duì)他們進(jìn)行了多年跟蹤調(diào)查，以評(píng)估他們的大腦健康和其他問(wèn)題。研究對(duì)象是600多名年齡在35至64歲之間的中年人以及2600名79歲及以上的老年人。
Their data was analysed using statistical software to find out whether those who experienced a higher frequency of distressing dreams were more likely to go on to experience cognitive decline and be diagnosed with dementia.
他們利用統(tǒng)計(jì)軟件對(duì)數(shù)據(jù)進(jìn)行分析，研究更頻繁做噩夢(mèng)的人確診癡呆癥、認(rèn)知能力下降的可能性是否增加。
The research, published in eClinicalMedicine, found that middle-aged people who experienced bad dreams at least once a week were four times more likely to experience cognitive decline over the following decade than those who rarely had nightmares. Among elderly participants, those who frequently reported distressing dreams were twice as likely to be diagnosed with dementia in subsequent years.
這項(xiàng)研究發(fā)表在《電子臨床醫(yī)學(xué)》上。研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，每周至少做一次噩夢(mèng)的中年人在接下來(lái)的十年中，認(rèn)知能力下降的可能性是很少做噩夢(mèng)的人的四倍。經(jīng)常做噩夢(mèng)的老年人在隨后幾年確診老年癡呆的可能性是其他老年人的兩倍。
One possibility is that people who have frequent bad dreams have poor quality sleep, which could gradually lead to a buildup of proteins associated with dementia. Another is the existence of some genetic factor that underpins both phenomena.
一種可能的解釋是經(jīng)常做噩夢(mèng)的人睡眠質(zhì)量差，這可能會(huì)導(dǎo)致與癡呆癥相關(guān)的蛋白質(zhì)逐漸積累。另一種可能性是與影響這兩種問(wèn)題的遺傳因素有關(guān)。
However, Otaiku’s working hypothesis is 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. He said: “We know that neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease often start many years before somebody is diagnosed. In some individuals who already have underlying disease, bad dreams and nightmares might be one of the earliest signs.”
然而，Otaiku的假設(shè)是，大腦右額葉的神經(jīng)變性使得人們?cè)谧鰤?mèng)時(shí)更難控制自己的情緒，進(jìn)而導(dǎo)致噩夢(mèng)。他說(shuō)：“我們知道，帕金森病和阿爾茨海默病等神經(jīng)退行性疾病通常在確診前多年就開(kāi)始了。對(duì)于一些已經(jīng)有潛在疾病的人來(lái)說(shuō)，噩夢(mèng)可能是最早的癥狀之一。”
He stressed that only a subset of adults who regularly have bad dreams are likely to develop dementia, However, assuming this link is confirmed, bad dreams could eventually be used to identify individuals at high risk.
他強(qiáng)調(diào)，只有一小部分經(jīng)常做噩夢(mèng)的成年人可能會(huì)患癡呆癥。然而，如果這種聯(lián)系得到證實(shí)，可以由此來(lái)識(shí)別癡呆癥高危人群。
“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. “If we can identify who’s at high risk for getting dementia several years or even decades earlier, we may be able to slow down the onset, or maybe even prevent it altogether.”
Otaiku說(shuō)：“治療癡呆癥的最佳方法是預(yù)防，我們知道有幾個(gè)可控的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)因素：不良飲食、缺乏鍛煉、吸煙酗酒。如果我們能在幾年甚至幾十年前確定哪些人是癡呆癥高風(fēng)險(xiǎn)人群，也許能夠減緩甚至可能完全預(yù)防癡呆癥?！?/p>
來(lái)源：衛(wèi)報(bào)
編輯：董靜
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