Senior Living Guide

PickingtheRightCamp Catchuponyourzzzs Sleeplosscanaffect memory in seniors P oorsleep canleave people feeling groggy, disoriented, depressed, and not up for facing the day. And now there's new evidence that insomnia can contribute to memory loss and forgetfulness among the elderly. A study — the first of its kind — unveiled a new link between lack of sleep and memory loss. Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley found that during sleep important brain waves are produced that play key roles in storing memories. These waves transfer the memories from the hippocampus to the prefrontal cortex, a portion of the brain where long- term information is stored. Sleep loss can cause the memories to remain in the hippocampus and not reach the long-term storage area, found researchers. This can contribute to forgetfulness and difficulty remembering simple details, such as names. Seniors are frequently plagued with deteriorated sleeping patterns that lead to shallow sleep and more awakenings, says those at the University of California. This is not the first time sleep and brain health have been measured. A 2008 University of California at Los Angeles study discovered that people with sleep apnea showed tissue loss in brain regions that help store memories. Another study, published in the journal Brain, conducted by doctors at Washington University in St. Louis, linked poor sleep with early onset of dementia, especially Alzheimer's disease. Although poor sleep does not cause Alzheimer's, it may increase brain amyloid proteins believed to be intrinsic to the disease. When slow-wave deep sleep is disrupted, levels of amyloid can grow and clog the brain. This is corroborated by data published in the journal Neurology. Getting deep sleep is important for reducing these proteins. n NOBODYOFFERSMORE DISCOUNTS THAN FARMERS Visitfarmers.comforacompletelistingofcompanies.Notallinsurersareauthorizedtoprovideinsuranceinallstates.Coverageisnotavailableinallstates. Call415.878.1394today! Get smart about your coverage. David Stompe Agency Your Local Agent CA License # 0C68731 100 GALLI DR STE 5, NOVATO,CA 94949 DSTOMPE@FARMERSAGENT.COM https://agents.farmers.com/dstompe ■ Farmers Identity Shield fraud assistance ■ Home-owners insurance ■ Umbrella coverage 10 June 10, 2018 Senior Living A Marketing Supplement of the Marin Independent Journal | marinij.com

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