Perbedaannya.com- Alzheimer ‘s and brain aging could be linked to poor sleep
- Poor sleep as we age is associated with a marker that indicates brain aging and Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s and brain aging could be linked to poor sleep
You sleep a little thing? In today’s society where we receive so many stimuli, so many activities and suffer so much stress due to various work and personal circumstances, it seems that getting a good night’s sleep is a problem for many people. As we age, it is even more difficult to fall asleep and we often resort to chemical sleep aids such as Orfidal or melatonin-type pills for better sleep regulation. Sleeping also helps to fix memory correctly.
Index Brain aging and Alzheimer’s linked to short sleep Short sleep is related to a marker of brain aging and Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer ‘s together with brain aging is one of the big problems we have in aging societies in developed countries and therefore these are lines of research where many resources are invested.
Brain aging and Alzheimer’s linked to poor sleep
Researchers at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore (Duke-NUS) have found evidence that the less sleep older adults get, the faster their brains age. These findings, relevant in the context of a rapidly aging society like Singapore, pave the way for future work on sleep loss and its contribution to cognitive decline, including dementia.
Previous research has examined the impact of sleep duration on cognitive functions in older adults. Although rapid enlargement of the cerebral ventricle is a marker for cognitive decline and the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, the effects of sleep on this marker have never been measured.
Short sleep is linked to a marker of brain aging and Alzheimer’s
The Duke-NUS study examined data from 66 older Chinese adults from the Singapore Longitudinal Study of the Aging Brain. Participants underwent structural MRI brain scans, which measure brain volume, and neuropsychological evaluations testing cognitive function, every two years. Additionally, sleep duration was recorded through a questionnaire. Those who slept fewer hours showed evidence of rapid ventricle enlargement and decline in cognitive performance. This could be an indication that it may influence the development of Alzheimer’s .
“Our findings link short sleep to a marker of brain aging,” said lead author Dr June Lo, a Duke-NUS researcher. “The work done suggests that sleeping seven hours a day for adults appears to be the sweet spot for optimal performance on computerized cognitive tests. “In the next few years we hope to determine what is good for cardio-metabolic and long-term brain health as well,” added Professor Michael Chee, senior author and director of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at Duke-NUS.
Here more articles about Alzheimer’s.
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Source: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-06-short-aging-brain.html