Excessive napping could be early sign of Alzheimer's, study says

A new study shows excessive napping could be an early warning sign of Alzheimer's disease.

According to the study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, researchers compared the brains of 13 people who'd had Alzheimer's and died with the brains of seven people who didn't have the disease.

The researchers specifically examined the parts of the brain involved in keeping us awake during the day. They described finding a degeneration of the whole wakefulness-promoting network in the brains from Alzheimer's patients.

Because of that, researchers conclude there's a more direct biological pathway between Alzheimer's and daytime sleepiness.

It's still unclear though how much time lapses between when sleep changes happen and memory loss begins. The scientists say follow up research needs to be done.