AFP – Sleep isn’t just about recharging your energy.
This essential activity, which takes up a third of our lives, plays a vital role in many biological processes. Disrupting sleep can have immediate and significant impacts on health, especially on the brain, according to an American study published in the journal Neurology.
A research team at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), has uncovered a disturbing link between sleep quality in midlife and brain atrophy, a phenomenon often associated with dementia.
They came to this conclusion after following 600 adults, with an average age of around 40, over a period of several years.
These volunteers were part of the Cardia (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) study, which examines the development and risk factors of cardiovascular (heart) disease.
For the purposes of their study, the researchers questioned the participants about various aspects of their sleep.
They also determined the brain age of each of them, by analysing their brain scans using machine-learning algorithms.
The results showed that, even after taking into account various factors, such as age, lifestyle or general health, adults who had trouble sleeping showed accelerated brain ageing.
Individuals complaining of moderate difficulty sleeping had brains that were 1.6 years older than those reporting good sleep.
This phenomenon was even more pronounced for adults with the most difficulty sleeping. In their case, the gap rose to 2.6 years.
The scientists found that the acceleration of brain ageing was particularly linked to having difficulty falling asleep and waking up early, with the feeling of not having recuperated sufficiently.
Surprisingly, sleep duration did not seem to have a significant impact on this phenomenon, even though previous studies claim that shorter sleep leads to an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia.
“While we can’t say that poor sleep causes dementia, earlier research has established an association.
“Even if the cause of dementia is unrelated to sleep, it’s possible that poor sleep may advance or exacerbate cognitive symptoms,” said study first author and postdoctoral researcher Dr Clémence Cavaillès in a news release.
These findings show how important good sleep is for our health.
“The study shows that poor sleep could be a target for early interventions to prevent possible cognitive decline,” said study senior author and UCSF Center for Population Brain Health director Professor Dr Kristine Yaffe.
And the stakes are high: The frequency of sleep problems has been rising steadily in recent decades.
The almost constant presence of light, stress and sedentary lifestyles are among the main factors explaining the prevalence of poor sleep in modern society.
