This signal must really be taken into account if you live it every night. It can translate a degenerative disease.
When we talk about degenerative diseases, we immediately think of memory holeswith the names that we forget, with moments of error. However, this neurodegenerative disease is much more insidious. Even before memory disorders become obvious, it can be reported by subtle symptoms, often minimized.
With more than a million people affected in France, it is crucial to understand that early prevention and detection go through vigilance on all aspects of health, including sleep. Because yes, the quality of our nights can say a lot about the health of our brain. According to many specialists, night changes can be among the first markers of the disease.
Do you wake up a lot overnight? Please note, this signal must draw your attention
Of the frequent alarm clock And unexplained are not trivial, especially when they become regular and settle in several weeks. Richard J. Schwab, researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, alerts to this point: “People who suffer from dementia may present disorders that contribute to sleep anomalies”, he explains in the Manuel MSD.
These night awakenings are far from being a simple inconvenience. “Affections such as arthritis, dehydration and infections can cause pain or sensations of embarrassment that disrupt sleep. Similarly, certain drugs and their interactions may have a repercussions on sleep”. The problem ? When these awakenings become systematic, they translate a disruption of the organic clock.
The brain, already reached, struggles to synchronize the day-free cycles, which leads to confusions, insomnia or need for excessive naps during the day. According to Inserm: “In Alzheimer’s disease, sleep disorders occur long before the diagnosis was made,” Recalling that sleep is vital for cleaning the brain. At night, our body eliminates “waste” like Beta-amyloid platesassociated with the disease.
When should you consult a specialist?
A fragmented or too short sleep prevents this “cleaning”which accelerates the progression of brain lesions. Other signals must also alert: repeated awakenings between 1 a.m. and 4 am without identified medical reason, unusual nightmares, a state of confusion or nocturnal disorientation, excessive diurnal drowsiness, or a sudden change in sleep rhythm.
Of course, getting up once at night is not worrying. But these symptoms, if they are accompanied by abnormal oversights, irritability or loss of interest for the usual activities, should encourage to consult. Because the more the disease is diagnosed early, the more the management can be adapted to slow down its evolution.