From NIH Research Matters by Erin Bryant

Changes in sleep patterns are common in people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

They may wake up often during the night and find it hard to get back to sleep. These sleep problems are thought to result from brain changes caused by the disease that affect the sleep-wake cycle.

Studies have suggested that sleep patterns earlier in life may contribute to later dementia risk. Both insufficient sleep and sleeping longer than average have been linked to a greater likelihood of developing dementia. However, it has been hard to determine whether these sleep changes contribute to the disease or simply reflect early symptoms.

Many of the studies on sleep and dementia risk have followed participants for less than a decade and focused on people over the age of 65. A study led by Dr. Séverine Sabia of Inserm and University College London examined how sleep patterns earlier in life may affect the onset of dementia decades later.

The study was supported in part by NIH’s National Institute on Aging (NIA). Findings appeared in Nature Communications on April 20, 2021.

The researchers examined data from nearly 8,000 people in Britain starting at age 50. Participants were assessed on a wide variety of measures, including being asked on six occasions between 1985 and 2016 how many hours they slept a night. To assess the accuracy of this self-reporting, some of the participants wore accelerometers to objectively measure sleep time. Over the course of the study, 521 participants were diagnosed with dementia, at an average age of 77.

Analysis of the data showed that people in their 50s and 60s getting six hours of sleep or less were at greater risk of developing dementia later. Compared to those getting normal sleep (defined as 7 hours), people getting less rest each night were 30% more likely to be diagnosed with dementia.

The researchers adjusted their model to account for other factors known to influence sleep patterns or dementia risk, including smoking, physical activity, body mass index, and medical conditions like diabetes and heart disease. They also separated out people with mental illnesses like depression, which are strongly linked to sleep disturbances.

The findings suggest that short sleep duration during midlife could increase the risk of developing dementia later in life. More research is needed to confirm this connection and understand the underlying reasons.

“While we cannot confirm that not sleeping enough actually increases the risk of dementia, there are plenty of reasons why a good night’s sleep might be good for brain health,” Sabia says.

Quality sleep is known to play an important role in concentration and learning, as well as mood and overall health.

This research was supported in part by NIA grants R01AG056477 and RF1AG062553.

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias get worse over time. Even simple everyday activities can become difficult to complete. To help cope with changes in memory and thinking, consider strategies that can make daily tasks easier. Try to adopt them early on so you will have more time to adjust. You can:

Write down to-do lists, appointments, and events in a notebook or calendar.

Set up automated bill payments and consider asking someone you trust to help manage your finances.

Have your groceries delivered.

Manage your medications with a weekly pillbox, a pillbox with reminders (like an alarm), or a medication dispenser.

Ask your doctor to provide a care plan and write down care directions (or have a family member or friend take notes during the visit).

Sleep Tips for People Living With Dementia

Dementia often changes a person’s sleeping habits. You may sleep a lot, or not enough, and wake up many times during the night. Poor sleep quality can make dementia symptoms worse.

Tips for better and safer sleep:

Follow a regular schedule by going to sleep and getting up at the same time each day, even on weekends or when traveling.

Develop a relaxing bedtime routine with lowered lights, cool temperature, and no electronic screens.

Avoid caffeine and naps late in the day.

Have a lamp that’s easy to reach and turn on, a nightlight in the hallway or bathroom, and a flashlight nearby.

Keep a telephone with emergency numbers by your bed.

Talk to your doctor if you have problems sleeping.

Healthy and Active Lifestyle Tips for People Living With Dementia

Participating in activities you enjoy and getting exercise may help you feel better, stay social, maintain a healthy weight, and have regular sleep habits.

Try these tips for a healthy and active lifestyle:

Try to be physically active for at least 30 minutes on most or all days of the week. But be realistic about how much activity you can do at one time. Several short “mini-workouts” may be best.

Aim for a mix of exercise types — endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility. For example, you could do a mix of walking or dancing, lifting weights, standing on one foot, and stretching. Even everyday activities like household chores and gardening help you stay active.

Your diet may need to change as dementia progresses to maintain a healthy weight. Talk with your doctor about the best diet for you, and choose nutritious foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean sources of protein and dairy products. Avoid added sugars, saturated fats, and sodium.

Stay social by talking on the phone with family and friends, joining an online support group, or going for a walk in your neighborhood.

Finding Care and Support: Tips for People Living With Dementia

Many people may be able to help in different ways. These people might include family members, friends, professional caregivers, community organizations, and others with dementia. For example, you can:

Ask friends or family to help with needs like cooking, paying bills, transportation, or shopping.

If you live alone, find people you trust who can visit often.

Consider letting trusted neighbors know of your diagnosis so they can help if needed.

Use social service agencies, local nonprofits, and Area Agencies on Aging to connect with in-home help, transportation, meals, and other services.

Learn more about support and services.

Physical activity is a great way for older adults to gain substantial health benefits and maintain independence. Try to make exercise a priority. Remember that being active is one of the most important things you can do each day to maintain and improve health. Try these tips to help you stay motivated to exercise.

Some people like to walk on a treadmill at the gym. Others find that kind of activity boring. The key to sticking with exercise is to make it interesting and enjoyable. Be creative. Do things you enjoy but pick up the pace. Do all four types of exercise—endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility. The variety helps keep things interesting! Try some new activities to keep your interest alive.

You are more likely to exercise if it’s a convenient part of your day. Try exercising first thing in the morning. Combine physical activity with a task that’s already part of your day, such as walking the dog or doing household chores. If you don’t have 30 minutes to be active, look for three 10-minute periods. As you progress, add more 10-minute sessions until you hit your goal!

There are many ways to fit physical activity into your regular schedule, even while you are at work! Look for easy ways to add physical activity to your regular schedule:

Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

Take a walk with co-workers during your lunch break. An exercise buddy can help you stick with your plan to be more active!

Walk down the hall and talk with a co-worker instead of sending an e-mail, .

Park a little farther away from your office and enjoy the walk.

Join your company’s fitness center if there is one.

Search for Move Your Way: Tips for Busy Days on YouTube for more tips on fitting more activity into your day.

Many people agree that an “exercise buddy” keeps them going.

Take a walk during lunch with coworkers.

Try a dance class—salsa, tango, square dancing—it’s up to you.

Use family gatherings as a time to play team sports or do outdoor activities.Women exercising together

The best way to stay motivated is to measure and celebrate your successes:

Make an exercise and physical activity plan that works for you.

Track your daily physical activity.

Find new ways to increase your physical activity.

Keep track of your monthly progress to see improvement.

Update your exercise plan as you progress.

Quick Tip: Rewards for Being Active

Don’t forget to build rewards into your plan. Write down something you will do for yourself when goals are achieved. Treat yourself to something special: a movie, a trip to the museum, a new audiobook, or a massage. Celebrate your successes!

by Carol Leish

By being aware of different types of fraud/crimes occurring, you will become more aware of how to stop them/avoid them from happening. With knowledge, you will gain the power of ways to better cope and stop the fraud/crimes from happening to you and/or to your friends/loved ones.

According to, Debbie Deem, a retired victim’s specialist for the FBI, there are different types of fraud/crimes to be aware of in order to be able to stop/avoid them from happening.

Deem said that, “According to the FBI, romance imposter crimes occur when a criminal adopts a fake online identity to gain a victim’s affection and trust. The remote criminal than uses the illusion of a romantic or other close relationship to manipulate and/or steal from the victim. These criminals’ frequent social media sites, dating and word game sites, among others. Often the images sent to a victim are taken from an innocent victim who may not know their image is being used to defraud victims and break their hearts.”

“The FBI has information, helpful tips, and videos that describe these crimes in more detail,” according to Deem. “Go to: http://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/romance-scams.”

“Lottery and sweepstakes fraud,” according to Deem, “have been around for many years. According to AARP, the initial contact is usually a phone call, but may also be a social media post, an email, text or even direct mail offering congratulations for winning a prize or contest. But, before you can obtain your winnings (and usually a Mercedes car in addition to the prize money), there will be various fees, taxes, courier fees, insurance and custom duties to pay before you can obtain your prize winnings. These frauds may ask for cash, to send counterfeit checks, or to demand payments in gift cards or increasingly virtual currencies using special ‘ATM’s’ specifically for cryptocurrency payments.

“It’s important to know that, according to federal law, you never have to pay taxes or fees in advance of winning a prize or money. It is also illegal to participate in a foreign lottery or sweepstake. Beware of calling or taking calls from an unknown person using the Caribbean area codes of 876, 809 or 284 that suggest you have won money. If you get a call like this, just hang up.

“For more information on lottery and sweepstakes fraud, link to: https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2019/sweepstakes.html.”

“The Federal Trade Commission (FTC),” according to Deem, “says that Tech support or computer repair fraud/crimes can involve one of the following things. 1) You may get a pop up on your computer screen that looks like an error message or warning that urges you to contact a ‘toll free’ number immediately because a virus or suspicious activity was found on your computer. 2) You may also be getting a phone call from someone claiming to be a computer technician from a company such as Apple or Microsoft, saying there is a problem with your computer, asking for remote computer access to run a diagnostic test. In each of these cases, you are asked to fix a problem that doesn’t exist for a fee. Or, it may result in them putting a virus or accessing personal financial information, such as your banking information.

“The FTC has very useful information on what to do to both avoid tech support fraud, as well as what to do if you are a victim. Remember that legitimate companies won’t be contacting you by phone, email, text or via a popup message. Get more information at: https://ww.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-and-report-tech-support-scams.”

Thus, by being aware of the above types of senior fraud/crimes, you now have the tools to be able to stop/avoid it from happening.

This Parkinson’s support group brings together people going through—or who have gone through—similar experiences with Parkinson’s. We provide opportunities for people to share their own personal experiences and feelings, coping strategies, or firsthand information about the disease and/or treatments. Additionally, attendees are encouraged to offer each other support and encouragement—especially for those newly diagnosed who are experiencing this new “life transition” for the first time.

Once a month, we team up together to provide support and information—and even some entertainment as a supplemental “activity” to what participants may already be doing in their established health programs.

Providing attendees with self-help strategies and raising awareness with all facets surrounding Parkinson’s are what we strive to accomplish at each meeting. Brief informative presentations, followed by interactive participation, allow attendees to benefit from both a professional and personal perspective of the meeting’s topic.

Though we provide relevant information and relatable personal experiences, our main goal is to instill better understanding of Parkinson’s not only for its effect on a diagnosed person but also on caregivers. We want to empower all parties to engage in their own advocacy. Most importantly, at every meeting we listen to—and accept—experiences and viewpoints of others while providing caring understanding of everyone in the group/community.

For more information regarding this unique support group, please visit vcneurofitness.com. Or contact Dr. Vanessa White, owner/director: [email protected], cell 805.300.7749.

Ventura County Parkinson’s Support Group meets the third Tuesday of every month at Crosspointe Church, 5415 Ralston St., Ventura.

10:00-11:15am . Next meeting: Tuesday, Sept. 21