Neurodegenerative diseases – Red lights on the brain

Exercise and sleep in Alzheimer’s

The previous blog looked at a journal article entitled: Effects of exercise on sleep in neurodegenerative disease, and focussed on its comments about sleep, exercise and Parkinson’s disease. This post looks at what the article has to say about exercise, sleep and Alzheimer’s disease.

Exercise and sleep in Parkinson’s

Hot off the research press is a journal article with a self-explanatory title: Effects of exercise on sleep in neurodegenerative disease.

It starts by summarising the main things that affect sleep in people with Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases as being:

damage to the sleep-wake system in the brain, that affects the circadian rhythm and disrupts normal sleeping and waking patterns; and
“secondary mechanisms” which include a raft of things like medication side effects, having to get up to the toilet during the night, poor sleep “hygiene”, sleep-related breathing disorders, and the environment in which you try to sleep.

Dementia

I’ve just seen and listened to Kate Swaffer, an extraordinary Australian first diagnosed with dementia at the age of 49.

Here is a link.

Kate’s message is simple and powerful. If you are given a diagnosis of dementia, don’t go home and give up.

People with dementia see the world in a different way – not better, not worse, just different.

Her message, especially if you have just been diagnosed, is that the more you do in your life, the better your life will be. Don’t hide away. Be active, take part, do things – lots of things.

We know that red and near infrared lights help – if they slow down the progression, then you win. No harm in trying.

Exercise and Light

Exercise and photobiomodulation are both neuroprotective.

Yesterday I had a really long conversation with a physiotherapist who specialises in treating people with Parkinson’s disease. It was one of those enormously cheering conversations. Listening to someone who is extremely experienced, supremely competent and concerned for and about each patient is a delight. On top of that, to have the drive and energy to keep up with the medical literature and identify other ways to help patients is awe-inspiring.

One of the topics we discussed is the role of exercise in Parkinson’s disease. It seems that there are some who think that exercise has a minimal role in management of Parkinson’s. This is astonishing, given all the research that consistently shows that structured exercise makes a big difference.