Out of the 24 million people worldwide suffering from dementia, 60% owe their trouble to Alzheimer’s disease. Progressive cognitive deterioration, declining activities of daily life, behavioural changes and even neuropsychiatric symptoms characterise this much dreaded disease. So far, the doctor’s prescriptions to fight it have been Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, immunotherapy, herbal compounds, dietary supplements and the like. But now a much easier and more readiy accessible treatment has been discovered: you just need to have a good night’s sleep to keep the Alzheimer demon at an arm’s length.
Researchers have now confirmed that sleeping more actually multplies one’s chances of keeping Alzheimer’s disease at bay. In a new study on how sleep could be an imporatnt decisive factor in the repulsion of the deadly disease, it was found that the sleep hormone melatonin that breaks down the body’s active hormones and provides us the license to rest has other supplementary functions too. Researchers now believe that the hormone could protect the human body from the potentially harmful magnetic fields created by power cables, reduce cholesterol, boost the immune system and help children suffering from autism and prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
The heartening revelation comes as a good omen for the millions worldwide who suffer from this disease. A good night’s sleep by keeping the artificial light to the miinimum could be just enough in putting off Alzheimer’s. But for most of those who are victims of this disease, of which no certain cure has been discovered till now, proper sleep pattern is often missing. Airline stewardesses and women working in night shifts are most vulnerable to this disease since they do not get natural sleep. The hormone melatonin is produced in the dark and so those who work at night are not benefited by the production of this crucial hormone.
Earlier this year a study held at the University of Granada in Spain discerned that melatonin keeps mice young and the result of that study spurred researchers elsewhere to stretch the initiative and try to find out more about melatonin. Despite the recent findings about melatonin, there are some who refuse to accept that the hormone, which is produced in the pineal gland of the brain, can be as vital as it sounds.
The National Radiological Protection Board in Britain says that laboratory evidence that magnetic fields could block melatonin was inconsistent and most of the evidence from human studies argues against it. CancerResearchUK is not convinced about the role of melatonin in tempering breast cancer and has suggested that that the high level of breast cancer among flight stewardesses could be because they start their families late in life or never have babies at all.
More research on the subject of whether melatonin can indeed help prevent cancer and Parkinson’s disease is due but at the moment we can all absorb the mantra of how to prevent the tentacles of Alzheimer’s from catching us. And that is by sleeping more.
Image Source:Daily Mail, UK
Source:Daily Mail, UK