One in four UK couples sleeps apart
There are currently 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK, of which Alzheimer’s is the most common form – but this is expected to rise to one million by 2025.
Dr Matthew Norton, of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Dementia is our greatest medical challenge.
“There is still a worrying lack of public understanding about the condition, which is why we have developed the dementia hotspots maps.
“Dementia is not an inevitable part of ageing, it is caused by diseases.”
A recent study by University College London found a third of all cases could be prevented if nine key risk factors were eliminated.
According to scientists, the greatest risks are hearing loss, smoking and poor education in early life, while it is also critical to avoid high blood pressure, inactivity, obesity, depression, diabetes and isolation in later life.
Simple lifestyle changes have the potential to eliminate one in three cases of the cruel condition.
Tackling obesity and hearing loss is key in middle age – 45-65 years old – while from the age of 65 managing depression, diabetes, physical inactivity and social isolation are vital.
Forecasts show that by 2050 there will be two million people living with dementia in Britain. If these conditions were eliminated, the number would fall to 1.3 million.
To view dementia maps visit www. dementiastatistics.org ALMOST one in four British couples regularly sleeps in separate beds, a study has revealed.
Arguments and relationship problems are the most common cause of sleeping apart, affecting 38 per cent of couples.
A partner’s snoring drives a quarter of loved ones to split at bedtime, while one in five said their other half regularly falls asleep in front of the TV and does not ever make it to bed.
A further 16 per cent said when a child ends up in the marital bed, one of the parents sleeps somewhere else.
The survey of 2,000 couples by Bensons for Beds also found 28 per cent said their sex life had suffered as a result of sleeping apart, while three in five said they prefer sleeping alone.