Considering that even one night of poor sleep can wreck your mood and cognition, imagine what consistently not getting enough can do to your brain. It’s easy to underestimate the importance of shut-eye, but consistently getting enough is crucial to aging well. Not getting enough sleep increases the risk of depression as well as hypertension and negatively impacts immune health.
If you consistently don’t get enough sleep, it also increases the risk of dementia, a health condition that impacts millions of Americans in the U.S. According to the National Institutes of Health, researchers estimate that 42% of Americans over age 55 will eventually develop dementia.
Related: Scientists Reveal This Many Daily Steps Could Cut Your Dementia Risk by 51%
Why Getting Enough Sleep Is Crucial for Brain Health
Not getting enough shut-eye can truly be detrimental to brain health. “One of the most important is that insufficient sleep may impair the brain's ability to clear proteins like beta-amyloid and tau, which are associated with Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. Roland says.
?SIGN UP for tips to stay healthy & fit with the top moves, clean eats, health trends & more delivered right to your inbox twice a week?
Anna Cinaroglu/Getty Images
Dr. Roland emphasizes that it’s not just sleep quantity that’s important; sleep quality is too. “Someone who spends eight hours in bed but experiences frequent awakenings or untreated sleep disorders may still not be getting restorative sleep,” he says.
A scientific study published in Sleepshows that fragmented sleep (waking up throughout the night) is associated with an increased risk of dementia. Dr. Roland explains that when sleep is interrupted in this way, it interferes with circadian rhythm, which plays a major role in regulating the body’s sleep-wake cycle, hormone release, metabolism and immune function.
One common cause of fragmented sleep is sleep apnea. Since sleep apnea causes fragmented sleep, it’s not surprising that people with sleep apnea have a higher risk of dementia. “Untreated sleep apnea is also associated with high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke risk and inflammation, all of which can affect brain function and may contribute to an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia. The encouraging part is that sleep apnea is treatable, and addressing it can significantly improve both sleep quality and overall health,” Dr. Roland says.
Up Next:
Sources:
Risk and future burden of dementia in the United States. National Institutes of Health.Dr. Joshua Roland, MD, FAASM, sleep medicine doctor and medical director at Dreem Health.Ahmadian, N., Hejazi, S., Mahmoudi, J., et al. (2018). Tau Pathology of Alzheimer’s Disease: Possible Role of Sleep Deprivation. Basic and Clinical Neuroscience. 9(5):307-316.Schneider, A. C., Moon, C., Whitaker, K., et al. (2022). Association of Sleep with Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease Mortality: NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Journal of Applied Gerontology. 41(4):1057-1065.Lim, A. S. P., Kowgier, M., Yu, L., et al. (2013). Sleep Fragmentation and the Risk of Incident Alzheimer’s Disease and Cognitive Decline in Older Persons. Sleep. 36(7):1027-1032.Ercolano, E., Bencivenga, L., Emiliana Palaia, M., et al. (2023). Intricate relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and dementia in older adults.GeroScience. 46(1):99-111.Hence then, the article about the exact amount of sleep you need each night to cut dementia risk according to a sleep medicine doctor was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( The Exact Amount of Sleep You Need Each Night To Cut Dementia Risk, According to a Sleep Medicine Doctor )
Also on site :
- We Asked 3 Oncologists About the Worst Thing You Can Do for Cancer Risk and They All Said the Same Thing
- Box Office: ‘Backrooms’ Scares Up $38 Million on Friday, Already Shattering Record for A24’s Best Opening Weekend
- Dietitians Are Begging People to Stop Pairing This Common Supplement With Magnesium