In your 40s, poor quality of sleep might compromise brain function in later years.
That marks the end of a study that was written up in October 23’s Neurology, the American Academy of Neurology publication.
Researchers from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and other institutions found in their results that those with poor sleep quality around the age of forty can have a brain age ranging from 1.6 years to 2.6 years older than those who routinely get great sleep.
“Our findings highlight the need of addressing sleep problems earlier in life to preserve brain health, including maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, exercising, avoiding caffeine and alcohol before going to bed and using relaxation techniques,” Kristine Yaffe, MD, a study author and professor of psychiatry at UCSF as well as a member of the American Academy of Neurology, said in a news release.
“Future studies should concentrate on identifying fresh approaches to improve sleep quality and investigating the long-term impact of sleep on brain health in younger people,” Yaffe said.
Examining the link between sleep and brain health
Seventy percent of individuals in this first phase had just one bad sleeping habit. Eight percent had more than three qualities; another twenty-two percent had two to three features.
Five years later, the researchers forwarded the identical poll to the subjects. They estimated the subjects’ brain age using MRI images and machine learning tests following additional ten years.
Those with more than three bad sleep patterns had an average brain age of 2.6 years older than those in the group with one or less feature, according to the study. Average brain age of those with two to three traits was 1.6 years older than those in the lowest group.
Clete Kushida, MD, a neurologist and professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Stanford University in California, told Healthline that this study is significant since it shows the link between inadequate sleep and accelerated brain ageing in middle-aged adults and offers hope that early treatment to manage sleep issues could prevent neurocognitive dysfunction in the future. Kushida has nothing to do with the study.
Not engaged in the study, geriatrician Scott Kaiser, MD, director of Geriatric Cognitive Health for the Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Centre in California, agreed.
“This is a highly compelling study — finding clear associations between poor sleep quality in midlife and accelerated brain ageing — that contributes important insights into a critical body of research investigating connections between sleep and brain health.” Kaiser advised Healthline.
Quality sleep is crucial for brain health
The self-reporting of individuals regarding their sleeping patterns was admitted by the researchers as a restriction of their study. They also claimed the study was observational, so it merely showed a connection between poor sleep and brain ageing rather than a causality.
Still, the researchers said that their results highlight the need of good sleep. Professionals concurred.
“Sleep is without doubt important to brain health,” Kushida advised Healthline. “We know several sleep disorders, including obstructive sleep apnea, might affect neurocognitive ability and risk of cerebrovascular disease. Furthermore, as the study reveals, the association of inadequate sleep with brain ageing is really significant.
“There is an increasingly strong body of research showing the critical importance of a good night’s sleep for brain health,” Kaiser said.
“Whether through the clearing of debris, “resetting” of neural networks, or providing down-time to various systems, the quantity and quality of sleep [although in this particular study the accelerated brain ageing findings were limited to those with poor sleep quality] have profound physiologic impacts that impact our day to day thinking, memory, and mood as well as our long-term risk of cognitive decline and dementia, Kaiser noted.”
Consistent quality sleep has been linked in past studies to a reduced dementia risk.
Other studies have found that adequate sleep can also help a person lose or maintain weight, strengthen the heart, lower type 2 diabetes risk, enhance the immune system, and cut bodily inflammation.
Good sleeping hygiene is advised by experts at any age.
“All ages benefit from sleep,” Kushida remarked. “We are aware that delayed growth and behavioural disorders in children and teenagers can result from sleep difficulties. As this study shows, poor sleep in this age group is linked with advanced brain age. Middle age is when many sleep disorders and medical conditions impacting sleep become more common and develop more with age.
