Early rising may be the first sign of Alzheimer’s

‘Likely to be morning people’

BEING a ‘morning person’ could be linked to the development of Alzheimer’s.

Scientists have discovered that a higher risk of the disease was associated with going to bed and waking up early.

Researchers studied over half a million individuals and analysed their genetic information as well as sleeping patterns.

They found that those with twice the genetic risk for Alzheimer’s were 1 per cent more likely to call themselves ‘morning people’. They also seemed to sleep less.

Results of the study, published in the journal Neurology, do not mean that being a morning person causes dementia. Scientists are keen to stress that sleep patterns do not cause the disease, but could instead be an early sign of it.

‘We had seen that people experience sleep disorders prior to the occurrence of the disease, but were unsure if they were causing it or were early warning signs,’ said Dr Abbas Dehghan, an author of the study from Imperial College London.

‘This study provides evidence against the first scenario. Further studies need to be done to evaluate the second scenario.’

It was revealed earlier this month that a drug said to stop the progression of Alzheimer’s could be prescribed to patients within six months. Patients given Aducanumab showed improved language skills and capacity to keep track of time, and a slower loss of memory.

Around 58,000 Irish people are expected to have developed dementia by 2021.