A new study from The Australian National University (ANU) suggests that poor sleep may contribute to brain shrinkage and increase the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Published in Sleep Medicine, the study reviewed over 100 existing studies and found strong links between sleep quality, sleep disorders, and brain health.
The research found that people with poor sleep—whether due to short sleep duration, low sleep quality, or frequent sleep disturbances—tended to have lower brain volume.
This suggests that long-term sleep problems may damage brain cells and contribute to cognitive decline over time.
One key finding was that people with REM sleep behavior disorder—a condition where individuals physically act out dreams—had less gray matter in the right frontal gyrus, an area of the brain often affected early in dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. This reinforces the idea that sleep disorders may signal or even contribute to brain degeneration.
Lead researcher Dr. Tergel Namsrai explained that sleep is difficult to study because there are many ways to measure it.
Some studies focus on how long people sleep, while others assess how well they sleep or how often they wake up during the night. By reviewing a broad range of research, Dr. Namsrai and her team aimed to provide a more complete picture of how sleep impacts brain health.
The findings highlight the need for better sleep monitoring during routine medical check-ups.
Dr. Namsrai emphasized that early detection and treatment of sleep problems could help prevent them from developing into serious sleep disorders and reduce the risk of long-term brain damage.
She also noted that future research should include a more diverse range of participants, covering different age groups, professions, and ethnic backgrounds. Factors like shift work, which is known to disrupt sleep, should also be considered in future studies.
This research reinforces the idea that sleep is crucial for brain health. Poor sleep may not just make you feel tired—it could also contribute to brain shrinkage and cognitive decline over time.
Regular sleep check-ups and early interventions for sleep problems could play a key role in protecting long-term brain function and preventing neurodegenerative diseases.
If you care about sleep health, please read studies about foods that help people sleep better, and Keto diet could improve cognitive function in people with sleep loss.
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The research findings can be found in Sleep Medicine.
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