Interrupted sleep can cause damage to the brain’s blood vessels, a new study claims.
Broken and disturbed sleep could leave you vulnerable to developing dementia, groundbreaking research has revealed.
Experts from the University of Toronto discovered disrupted sleep can inflict harm on the brain’s blood vessels after studying more than 600 elderly participants.
The volunteers wore smartwatch-style devices to monitor their sleep patterns and underwent genetic testing to assess pericyte levels in their brains.
Following their deaths, they donated their brains for scientific examination.
“We found that individuals who had more fragmented sleep, such as sleeping restlessly and waking up a lot at night, had a change in their balance of pericytes – a brain blood vessel cell that plays an important role in regulating brain blood flow and the entry and exit of substances between the blood and the brain,” Andrew Lim, principal investigator of the study, said, reports the Express.
Mr Lim added: “This in turn was associated with more rapid decline in cognitive function in the decade leading up to their death.”
Addressing sleep disruption could offer a pathway to enhancing brain vascular health, the research concluded.
Mr Lim said: “We know that in some individuals, sleep disruption can precede the onset of cognitive impairment by years, with emerging evidence suggesting a bidirectional link between sleep disruption and Alzheimer’s disease.”
Nevertheless, until this point, researchers “didn’t have sufficient evidence behind the mechanisms underlying these links”, he clarified. The research team examined “predominantly older women of European ancestry”, so recommended future studies in different populations would be beneficial to establish how widely applicable the findings are.
The NHS recommends a healthy adult typically requires around seven to nine hours of sleep each night.
Nevertheless, factors including age, health and individual circumstances all influence how much sleep is required.
Some people “naturally sleep more than others” according to the NHS.
Infants, children, and teens require more sleep than adults as they are still developing.
If you discover you feel constantly exhausted during the day, you’re likely not getting sufficient sleep.
There are currently believed to be nearly one million people across the UK living with dementia, yet more than a third of these individuals lack a formal diagnosis.
Dementia is the term for a collection of symptoms and Alzheimer’s is the most prevalent cause – but what exactly are the warning signs?
The initial noticeable indicator is frequently memory difficulties – and someone with Alzheimer’s may struggle to recall recent occurrences or absorb new information, the Alzheimer’s Society explained.
Someone with the condition might also experience difficulties with focus, planning, and organisation, and may find themselves bewildered about the time of day or their location.
Shifts in temperament – they may become more worried, dejected, or easily irritated – and communication challenges can be typical in someone with the condition.