Seniors who are drowsy during the day and find it hard to muster enthusiasm for activities could be at higher risk of a brain condition that precedes dementia, a new study warns.

These sleep-related problems are associated with "motoric cognitive risk syndrome," a pre-dementia condition that causes slow walking speed and some memory problems, researchers explained.

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People with excessive daytime sleepiness and a lack of enthusiasm are more than three times more likely to develop this syndrome, compared to people without those sleep-related problems, researchers reported Nov. 6 in the journal Neurology.

“More research needs to be done to look at the relationship between sleep issues and cognitive decline and the role played by motoric cognitive risk syndrome,” said researcher Dr. Victoire Leroy, with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. “We also need studies to explain the mechanisms that link these sleep disturbances to motoric cognitive risk syndrome and cognitive decline.”

For the study, researchers recruited 445 people, average age 76, without dementia. These seniors filled out questionnaires about sleep habits and memory issues, and their walking speed was repeatedly tested on a treadmill.

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About 177 people met the definition for poor sleepers, and 268 met the definition for good sleepers.

At the start of the study, 42 people had motoric cognitive risk syndrome. During the average three-year follow-up, another 36 people developed the condition.

About 36% of seniors with excessive daytime sleepiness and a lack of enthusiasm developed the syndrome, compared with about 7% of people without those sleep-related problems.

Still, the study can’t prove a direct link between these sleep-related problems and the pre-dementia syndrome, researchers noted.

However, it does demonstrate that good sleep will likely protect a person’s brain health in old age, researchers said.

“Our findings emphasize the need for screening for sleep issues,” Leroy said in an American Academy of Neurology news release. “There’s potential that people could get help with their sleep issues and prevent cognitive decline later in life.”