US researchers have discovered another factor in how sleep affects brain health in old age. A lack of sleep seems to boost the production of a specific protein that is associated with the development of dementia.
It is a well-known fact that those who sleep too little over a long period of time have problems concentrating, remembering or solving complex tasks. Cognitive limitations that worsen over the years, as researchers have long observed. Likewise, poor sleep in old age can already be a first sign of dementia. A study by Stanford University therefore looked into the extent to which sufficient sleep keeps the production of a protein called beta-amyloid in check, which is considered a marker for dementia and thus also for Alzheimer’s.
Study with 4417 older people
The scientists interviewed and examined 4,417 women and men with an average age of 71.3 years. The subjects came from the USA, Japan, Canada and Australia. Striking: almost all women and men who stated that they slept six hours or less per night had higher levels of beta amyloid in the brain than “normal sleepers” (seven to eight hours). At the same time, they performed significantly worse in orientation, attention, language and memory tests, according to a study published in the specialist journal «Jama».1 For the study authors, this means that the subjects affected already have mild dementia.
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What the «dementia protein» beta-amyloid is all about
«Amyloid beta, or amyloid-β, is a protein that’s made during normal brain cell activity, although we’re still not sure of its function,» study leader Joe Winer told CNN a healthy brain produces the protein. It can become problematic when the beta-amyloid level gets out of balance. “In Alzheimer’s disease, amyloid β proteins begin to build up throughout the brain. Amyloid plaques become more common with age, but many people with large accumulations stay healthy for a long time. «Roughly 30 percent of healthy 70-year-olds have significant amounts of amyloid plaques.»
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How sleep inhibits the beta-amyloid protein and thus protects against dementia
In Alzheimer’s and dementia, those brain cells that retrieve, process and store information die in particular. Scientists theorize that the mass accumulation of amyloid beta proteins disrupts communication between brain cells, leading to their death. Sleep can apparently help to slow down the production of the «dementia protein». However, beta amyloid builds up over many years. Long before symptoms even show up. «This shows us how important it is to maintain healthy sleep into old age,» Winer summarizes his main finding.
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It’s all about balance – too much sleep also damages the brain and psyche
Super late risers (nine hours and more) should by no means feel on the safe side. Because the scientists also discovered cognitive problems in them – albeit without an increase in beta-amyloid. «Just like people who don’t get enough sleep, those who sleep a lot tend to be overweight and depressed,» warns study leader Winer. «This suggests that both too little and too much sleep can make you ill.»
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Sources
- Winer RJ, Deters KD, Kennedy G, et. al. Association of Short and Long Sleep Duration With Amyloid-β Burden and Cognition in Aging. yama. (2021)
- CNN. Find your sleep ‘sweet spot’ to protect your brain as you age, study suggests. (2021)