Sleep is important More recently a series of studies have been revealing compelling associations between disrupted sleep and neuro degenerative diseases such as Alzheimers
Last year it was discovered that sleep deprivation can directly lead to an increase in amyloid beta accumulations in the brain one of the central pathological observations seen in people with Alzheimers disease
A new study is further elucidating the relationship between sleep and Alzheimers The hypothesis behind the research is that decreased slow wave sleep may correlate with increases in a brain protein called tau which alongside amyloid beta has been found to be significantly linked to the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimers disease
The researchers examined the sleep patterns of 119 subjects over the age of 60 the majority of whom were cognitively healthy with no signs of dementia or Alzheimers For a week the subjects sleep patterns were monitored using sensors and portable EEG monitors Tau and amyloid levels were also tracked in all subjects using either PET scans or spinal fluid sampling
The results revealed that those subjects suffering from lower levels of slow wave sleep displayed higher volumes of tau protein in the brain Slow wave sleep is the deepest phase of non rapid eye movement sleep and this stage of a persons sleep cycle has been strongly linked to memory consolidation with many researchers also suggesting slow wave sleep is vital for maintaining general brain health
The key is that it wasnt the total amount of sleep that was linked to tau it was the slow wave sleep which reflects quality of sleep explains Brendan Lucey first author on the new study The people with increased tau pathology were actually sleeping more at night and napping more in the day but they werent getting as good quality sleep
Huge questions still remain unanswered though particularly when trying to discern whether bad sleep is ultimately a cause or consequence of conditions such as Alzheimers
The study does clearly note a significant limitation in the conclusion is an inability to establish whether sleep changes precede or follow any pathological changes in the brain
Age related neurodegenerative diseases are inarguably more complicated than simply being the effect of years of bad sleep however the researchers do suggest sleep disruptions may be an effective early warning tool to help doctors spot patients in the earliest pre clinical stages of cognitive decline
Whats interesting is that we saw this inverse relationship between decreased slow wave sleep and more tau protein in people who were either cognitively normal or very mildly impaired meaning that reduced slow wave activity may be a marker for the transition between normal and impaired says Lacey
Measuring how people sleep may be a noninvasive way to screen for Alzheimers disease before or just as people begin to develop problems with memory and thinking
Sleep Apnea is linked to so many health problems with researchers saying apnea may be the cause of many It is so important to get diagnosis and correct treatment of sleep apnea early on Call Alaska Sleep Clinic for your free sleep assessment with one of our board certified sleep specialists
