Page 186 - Mind Games The Aging Brain and How to Keep it Healthy

170 • Chapter 6

Research indicates that Alzheimer’s patients get less REM
sleep than normal adults.

A survey of 1,400 retirees at the National Institute of
Health and Medical Research in Paris discovered that half
the individuals had breathing problems during sleep, such
as snoring or sleep apnea. Approximately 44 percent of
older adults also experience periodic limb movement in sleep
(PLMS). Symptoms are leg movements and kicks repeated
every 20 to 40 seconds throughout the night. Each move-
ment causes the person to arouse enough to prevent restful
sleep. 8
When your internal clock goes off schedule, sleeping
cycles suffer. Sleep is a critical ingredient in the learning
process and in our ability to recall information later. “When
apnea led to daytime sleepiness, researchers found, the per-
son showed significant loss of short-term memory and alert-
ness on psychological test, the kind of mental slippage that
can lead to dementia.” Sonia Ancoli-Israel, Director of the
Sleep Disorders Clinic at San Diego’s Veterans Administra-
tion Hospital says, “If you treated sleep problems in people
with mild dementia, I think there’s a chance their mental de-
terioration would improve.” 9
If you suffer from insomnia, you might check with your
physician and pharmacist about possible side effects of
your medications that may interfere with your sleep cycle.
Some drugs, such as some beta-blockers prescribed for hy-
pertension, interfere with the production of melatonin in
the brain. Others may interfere with its absorption. Perhaps
you can have your doctor prescribe a different type of drug
that will not interfere with your production or absorption
of melatonin.
Some people use alcohol as an aide to go to sleep. It does
relax you initially, but several hours later, when the alcohol
is depleted, it results in insomnia. You can use other tech-
niques to induce relaxation and help you fall asleep.