A new study suggests that reduced sleep and poor sleep quality may be linked to increased build-up of beta-amyloid plaques in the brains of older adults – a sign of Alzheimer’s disease. This is according to a study published in the journal JAMA Neurology.

Researchers from The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health say that previous research has linked disturbed sleep to cognitive impairment in older individuals.

They note that those with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have been shown to spend more time awake and have higher levels of fragmented sleep, compared with those who do not have the disorder.

Sleep patterns have previously been linked to beta-amyloid plaques. Research has indicated that changes in beta-amyloid levels may be regulated by sleep-wake patterns, the researchers say.

Therefore, they wanted to determine whether there is a link between beta-amyloid deposition and sleep variables within community-dwelling older adults.

The research team analyzed data from 70 adults with a mean age of 76 years, taken from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. All participants were free of any form of dementia.

The participants were required to self-report their sleep patterns, disclosing the mean hours of sleep they had each night, how often they woke throughout the night, whether they had trouble falling asleep and whether they woke earlier than planned.

Their beta-amyloid deposition in the brain was measured using various brain imaging techniques.

Lack of sleep ‘increases beta-amyloid deposition’
The participants reported sleep duration ranging from no more than 5 hours, to more than 7 hours each night.

When comparing sleep duration with brain imaging showing the participant’s beta-amyloid deposition, it was found that shorter overall nights’ sleep duration and poor sleep quality were linked to increased beta-amyloid build-up.

However, the researchers note that the number of times a person woke during the night was not linked to an increase in beta-amyloid build-up.
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