Can getting quality sleep help prevent Alzheimer ’ s disease?

It’s amazing how a good night’s sleep can rejuvenate the mind, or “rest the little grey cells” as Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie’s famed sleuth, liked to say. But sound slumber may boost the brain another way by protecting you against Alzheimer’s disease. Research has begun to show an association between poor sleep and a higher risk of accumulating beta-amyloid protein plaque in the brain, one of the hallmarks of the disease. “Observational studies have found that adults over age 65 with amyloid plaques in their brain have reduced slow-wave sleep, which is thought to play an important role in memory function, even though these people do not yet show signs of Alzheimer’s, like memory loss and cognitive decline,” says Dr. Brad Dickerson, associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School. “It may be that quality sleep could play a role in who may get Alzheimer’s.” Sweeping out amyloids Any talk about Alzheimer’s often begins with amyloid proteins. They accumulate in the brain daily and are thought to be a waste product from the energy used when brain cells communicate. Your brain sweeps out excess amyloid proteins during slow-wave sleep, which is the deep sleep phase during which your memories are consolidated. Some studies suggest that when your sleep gets interrupted during the slow-wave phase, amyloid proteins build up and form plaque on brain tissue. Scientists believe this is the first stage of the development of Alzheimer’s, and it can...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Alzheimer's Disease Behavioral Health Brain and cognitive health Healthy Aging Memory Sleep Source Type: blogs