Researchers have noted excessive daytime napping can develop long before memory problems of Alzheimer's disease appear. Prior studies considered excessive daytime napping compensation for poor nighttime sleep caused by Alzheimer's-related disruptions in sleep-promoting brain regions; others argued that the sleep problems contribute to progression of the disease. But now scientists have provided a new explanation for this phenomenon, showing that Alzheimer's disease directly attacks brain regions responsible for daytime wakefulness.
Source: Medicine Science Daily