Scientists have found that older men who begin to have bad dreams are significantly more likely to develop Parkinson's disease later on compared to those who are not haunted by nightmares.
In particular, they associate the appearance of nightmares in men with a tendency to Parkinson's disease. The presence of such a relationship is confirmed by the results of 12-year observations of a group of 3818 elderly men. Experts have found that older men are twice as likely to be diagnosed with parkinsonism after they start having bad dreams.
Parkinson's disease is caused by brain cell death caused by a lack of the chemical dopamine, which acts as the brain's messenger coordinating body movements. The three main symptoms of the disease are involuntary trembling of body parts (tremor), slowing down of all movements, stiffness (stiffness) of the muscles.
In previous years, studies have already been carried out that revealed in people with Parkinson's disease a more aggressive, bright and frightening dream content. The new work of scientists has provided additional evidence that changes in sleep towards more nightmare stories may be an early sign of Parkinson's disease.
“The more we know about the earliest signs of the disease and how the brain can change, the better more likely to find effective treatments,” experts say.
Earlier, the MedikForum.ru portal wrote that a slower pace of walking can indicate people's susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease.