Sleep problems linked to poor brain health
(ORDO NEWS) — Researchers at the Australian National University (ANU) have concluded that sleep problems in middle age cause deterioration in brain health.
The study looked at the sleep habits of more than 29,000 people aged 37 to 73. All subjects were subjected to a brain scan, as well as visualization of the processes occurring in the head during sleep.
Multiple linear regression analyzes were performed to explore the association between sleep and brain health.
Participants who slept more than nine hours or less than six hours a day were found to have smaller brain volumes.
Each additional hour of sleep above seven hours per night was associated with a 0.10-0.25 percent reduction in brain volume over the 2006-2014 follow-up period.
In addition, they recorded reduced cognitive performance, which affected the reaction rate, intelligence and memory.
Day nappers were also susceptible to brain health disorders: their gray matter and the volume of the left hippocampus decreased.
The authors note that more attention needs to be paid to the relationship between sleep and brain health, as well as more research on this topic.
The data obtained can form the basis for the formation of new methods of combating neurodegenerative diseases.
It is known that approximately 20 to 40 percent of cases of dementia are associated with modifiable non-genetic factors: smoking, alcohol abuse and obesity, as well as sleep.
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