Sleep disruption may signal future Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's patients sleep poorly at night and often nap multiple times in the daytime. They can get their days and nights so mixed up, they end up sleeping only in the daytime and are up all night wandering. Sleep problems are a common reason for putting people with Alzheimer's Disease in nursing homes. Here is a study showing that broken up sleep and daytime napping were more likely in people with pre-clinical Alzheimer's Disease - meaning before there is any memory loss. Researchers determined their sleep quality with home based sleep testing and sleep diaries. They determined pre-clinical Alzheimer's Disease with results from a spinal tap. These findings are interesting as a disruption in sleep quality may mean that the person is at risk for developing a cognitive disorder.