If someone still believes that sleeping has nothing to do with mental health, you should immediately say to him to hold his horses. Getting enough sleep at night is crucial for any individual if he wants to maintain good health over the years.
If you don’t get regular good sleep at night, it’s still time to change things. If you’ve been neglecting this aspect of your life, here’s a new reason to reconsider: sleep can even grant help in lowering the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
Focus on your sleep, but don’t neglect other areas of your health
The new research that Prevention.com reveals explored the fascinating connections between sleep, beta-amyloid deposits, as well as memory performance in older adults. Researchers analyzed 62 participants who don’t suffer from dementia, conducting sleep studies and utilizing EEG machines to monitor their brain activity.
PET scans were used to measure beta-amyloid levels in the brain, known for their link to memory loss and dementia. Surprisingly, half of those who participated in the study showed high beta-amyloid deposits. Following the research, participants completed a memory game. Results have shown that individuals with significant beta-amyloid deposits and higher levels of deep sleep did better in the memory test compared to those with similar deposits but with poorer sleep quality. The same association was exclusive to individuals with beta-amyloid deposits.
Zsófia Zavecz, the lead author of the study, states:
With a certain level of brain pathology, you’re not destined for cognitive symptoms or memory issues,
People should be aware that, despite having a certain level of pathology, there are certain lifestyle factors that will help moderate and decrease the effects. One of those factors is sleep and, specifically, deep sleep.
Reading about the dangers that Alzheimer’s disease can pose to a person should not let anybody in this world cool as a cucumber. We all need to take precautions as soon as possible, even during our ’20s or ’30s, so that the most common form of dementia remains at bay.
The new research was published in BMC Medicine.
