Poor sleep may predict Alzheimer's risk in elderly

Poor sleep quality may signal the risk of Alzheimer's disease in older adults, a study suggests.
People with Alzheimer's tend to wake up tired and their nights become even less refreshing as memory loss and other symptoms worsen. 

However, the reason was not fully understood.

The study found that older adults who sleep poorly or have less slow-wave sleep -- deep sleep needed to consolidate memories and wake up feeling refreshed -- have higher levels of tau -- a toxic brain protein.

Tau has also been linked to brain damage and cognitive decline.

"Measuring how people sleep may be a non-invasive way to screen for Alzheimer's disease before or just as people begin to develop problems with memory and thinking," said lead author.

Moreover, the findings, showed that it was not the total amount of sleep that was linked to tau, but the slow-wave sleep, which reflects quality of sleep. 

The people with increased tau pathology were actually sleeping more at night and napping more in the day, but they weren't getting as good quality sleep.

"What's interesting is that we saw this inverse relationship between decreased slow-wave sleep and more tau protein in people who were either cognitively normal or very mildly impaired, meaning that reduced slow-wave activity may be a marker for the transition between normal and impaired," the author added.

For the study, the team studied 119 people aged 60 or older among which almost 80 per cent were cognitively normal and the remainder were very mildly impaired.

Up to two decades before Alzheimer's symptoms of memory loss and confusion appear, amyloid beta protein begins to collect into plaques in the brain. Tangles of tau appear later, followed by decline of key brain areas. Only then do people start showing unmistakable signs of cognitive decline.

The challenge is finding people on track to develop Alzheimer's before such brain changes undermine their ability to think clearly. For that, sleep may be a handy marker, the researchers said.

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CRYING IS GOOD FOR YOU !

While people who cry are looked down upon as being weak or too emotional, experts insist that there actually some unexpected health benefits for people who cry often. These include lower stress levels, a decrease of toxins in body and greater emotional awareness.

Firstly, crying activates the the parasympathetic nervous system in the body to signal to the glands in the eyes to release tears. Once the emotional purgation is over the body is able to slow down its breathing and heart rate to a more controlled pace. This entire experience sends a positive release throughout the body and gives off the feeling of relief for the person. According to a study, almost everyone in the study felt better after a crying session. The researchers also found that personality also played a role into who was more likely to enjoy their crying session.

Secondly, human tears contain stress hormone ACTH. who have higher levels of ACTH in their body are at risk of developing Addison's disease. This disease can cause extreme fatigue, low blood sugar levels and depression. Crying flushes ACTH from the body, which can then make the person feel calmer.

Furthermore, tears also contain the hormone prolactin which is found in both genders during moments of sexual gratification and interpersonal connections.

When someone cries, this hormone is released in the body to help give off the soothing and calming feeling that people feel afterwards. 

Thirdly, animals cry in order to clear their tear ducts from any debris. However, humans have a different reason to shed tears. Research says that they are the only living organism on the planet who cries because of how they are feeling.

By allowing the body to tap into emotions of sadness, it can also become more aware of other feelings such as happiness, relief and gratitude.

Fourthly, Allowing oneself to cry can release tension that has built up in the body.

Experimental psychologist, who founded a leading health risk management company, said: 'Emotional tears, shed in moments of intense feeling, carry stress hormones and are a way of getting rid of them.

Experts have found that the majority of people who cry immediately feel more relaxed after they are done. 

Finally, being open with emotions towards others can help improve relationships and allow for them to also show how they are feeling.

Certain businesses in some countries have capitalized on having areas where people can openly express their sadness.

'Crying clubs' are spaces where people can go and connect with their emotions without feeling shame.

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Cartilage protein may lead to breast cancer development

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 Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein (COMP) is a protein that has been found in cartilage -- a connective tissue found in many areas of the body including joints between bones of elbows, knees and ankles.
"We did not expect to find COMP in connection with breast cancer, and we were also surprised by the strong effect it had on the development of breast cancer in mice," said Emelie Englund, researcher at Lund University in Sweden.
The findings revealed that women, who had higher levels of COMP, experienced an increase in the spread of breast cancer, to the surrounding tissues and also showed an increase in the mortality rate.
COMP not only contributed to a more rapid growth of the primary tumour, but also to the formation of metastases.
Further, COMP affects the cell metabolism and makes the breast environment less favourable to healthy cells.
It makes the cancer cells more resistant to natural cell death.

 "We saw a clear association between high levels of COMP and a worse breast cancer prognosis", explained Anna Blom, professor, in the paper published in the journal Oncogene.

Various amounts of COMP were found in both the tumours and the surrounding tissue, but never in healthy breast tissue.

With more research, COMP has the potential of becoming an indicator of aggressive breast cancer, and thereby providing early and valuable information before deciding on an appropriate treatment, the researchers indicated.

The results are based on a clinical study of breast tissue from a little more than 600 women with breast cancer.