A new study suggests that spending less time in certain sleep stages may lead to shrinking of brain areas that are more vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers found that people who had lower amounts of deep sleep and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep also had smaller brain volumes in key areas linked to early changes in Alzheimer’s, especially in the inferior parietal region.
The study, led by Dr. Gawon Cho from Yale School of Medicine, shows that poor sleep quality might be linked to long-term brain damage. “Our findings suggest that low brain activity during sleep may lead to brain shrinkage, which could increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Cho, a public health researcher and postdoctoral associate.
This research was published on March 31 in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, the official journal of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Alzheimer’s is a progressive brain disease and the leading cause of dementia. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, about 6.7 million Americans aged 65 and older have Alzheimer’s. That number could double by 2060 unless there are major medical breakthroughs to prevent or slow the disease.
The study analyzed data from 270 white participants, with a median age of 61 years. Just over half of the participants were women. People who had previously suffered from stroke, dementia, or serious brain conditions were not included in the study.
At the beginning of the study, researchers used sleep tests called polysomnography to examine the participants’ sleep patterns and determine how much time they spent in each sleep stage. Then, 13 to 17 years later, the participants underwent brain scans to measure the size of various brain areas.
The researchers found that individuals who spent less time in deep sleep (also known as slow wave sleep) and REM sleep had smaller brain volumes years later. These brain changes are especially important because they occurred in regions that are known to be affected early in Alzheimer’s disease.
Even after taking into account factors like age, gender, smoking, alcohol use, high blood pressure, and heart disease, the link between poor sleep stages and brain shrinkage remained strong.
Cho explained that the study points to an important connection between sleep and brain health. “Sleep problems are common in older adults, and our findings highlight how these problems could raise the risk of Alzheimer’s disease,” she said.
This research opens up new possibilities for preventing Alzheimer’s by improving sleep. “Sleep architecture—how our sleep is structured—could be something we can change to help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s or delay its onset,” said Cho.
However, the researchers note that more studies are needed to fully understand how sleep impacts brain health and Alzheimer’s progression. They hope this research encourages future work on sleep-focused strategies to protect the brain as we age.
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The study findings are found in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
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