Alzheimer's risk rises when amount of deep sleep falls, study suggests

Alzheimer’s risk rises when amount of deep sleep falls, study suggests

SHOWN THAT POOR SLEEP HEALTH CAN INCREASE YOUR RISK OF DEVELOPING ALL SORTS OF HEALTH ISSUES. SO HERE TO DISCUSS THIS IS C H I E T AND SLEEP SPECIALIST DOCTOR DANIEL O’BRIEN. THANKS FOR JOINING US. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. OKAY. SO LET’S GET RIGHT INTO IT. EXPLAIN HOW LACK OF SLEEP CAN REALLY CAUSE SOME MAJOR HEALTH ISSUES. WELL, I BELIEVE YOU ALLUDED TO IT EARLIER THAT WE OFTEN TAKE FOR GRANTED OUR SLEEP. AND SO WITH THAT, IF YOU’RE NOT GETTING A DEEP ENOUGH SLEEP, IT ACTUALLY PUTS EXCESS STRAIN ON YOUR HEART AND LUNGS, USUALLY STARTING OUT WITH SOME LITTLE BIT OF A HEADACHE IN THE MORNING, MAYBE SOME ELEVATED BLOOD PRESSURE. BUT GIVEN ENOUGH TIME, THAT PUTS QUITE A BIT OF STRAIN ON YOUR HEART AND LUNGS, POTENTIALLY PUTTING YOU AT RISK FOR A HEART ATTACK AND STROKE, AS WELL AS OTHER POTENTIAL NEUROLOGIC CONDITIONS. WOW. OKAY. AND SO SNORING PEOPLE SAY, OH MY GOSH, YOU KNOW, YOU’RE YOU SNOW, SNOW SNOW SO LOUD, YOU KNOW. BUT IT CAN HAVE SOME UNDERLYING ISSUES AND COULD MEAN SOMETHING MORE THAN JUST YOU’RE KEEPING EVERYONE UP IN THE HOUSE. YES. MORE MORE, MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, SNORING IS A PROBLEM FOR SOMEONE’S BED PARTNER. BUT IT IS. IT IS CHANGING. HOW? HOW RESTED THEY ARE, HOW MUCH RESTORATIVE BENEFIT THEY ARE GETTING FROM THEIR SLEEP. OKAY, ESPECIALLY IF YOU STOP AND START AND SNORT TO THE POINT WHERE IT’S WAKING YOU UP FROM SLEEP OR DECREASING THE BLOOD SUPPLY AND OXYGEN SUPPLY TO YOUR BRAIN. IT CAN HAVE SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS. AND SO AND THAT MEANS, LIKE YOU SAID, SOMETIMES PEOPLE HAVE TO GET LIKE CPAP MACHINES AND STUFF LIKE THAT. SO THEY’VE BEEN A NORM AND MAYBE EVEN SOME IMPLANTABLE DEVICES ARE GAINING SOME POPULARITY. CAN YOU TALK TO US ABOUT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE ALTERNATIVES TO A CPAP? ABSOLUTELY. SO CPAP AS WE KNOW OF IT’S BEEN AROUND SINCE THE 1970S CHANGED A LITTLE BIT. NOT A TON SINCE THEN. FOR A LONG TIME WHEN IT CAME TO ADJUNCTIVE SLEEP APNEA, KIND OF TAKING YOUR TONSILS OUT, SURGERY ON YOUR NOSE WHERE THINGS THAT WE WOULD DO. SO YOU COULD THEN TOLERATE CPAP FOR FOLKS THAT HAVE MILD TO MODERATE SLEEP APNEA, THERE ARE ALTERNATIVES, WHETHER THOSE INCLUDE AN ORAL APPLIANCE, WHICH I ACTUALLY HAVE AN EXAMPLE OF HERE, WHICH IS KIND OF A MOUTHGUARD THAT YOU WEAR AT NIGHT TO KIND OF PULL YOUR JAW FORWARD AND KEEP THE BACK OF YOUR AIRWAY OPEN. OTHER ALTERNATIVES TO THAT ARE STILL GETTING YOUR TONSILS OUT. NOT VERY MUCH FUN IF YOU’RE AN ADULT, BUT SOMETHING YOU CAN DO. AND THEN WHAT YOU’RE REFERRING TO KIND OF IMPLANTABLE DEVICES. FOR ABOUT TEN YEARS OR SO AGO, A DEVICE CAME ON THE MARKET CALLED THE HYPOGLOSSAL NERVE STIMULATOR. IT’S SOMETHING THAT GOES UNDERNEATH THE SKIN, SENDS A SIGNAL TO YOUR TONGUE SO YOUR AIRWAY DOESN’T COLLAPSE. THE FIRST TO MARKET FOR THAT WAS A COMPANY CALLED INSPIRE. THERE’S MULTIPLE OTHER ONES THAT ARE KIND OF IN THE PIPELINE FOR THAT, BUT IT’S SHOWN EXCEPTIONAL RESULTS FOR INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE SEVERE SLEEP APNEA IN TERMS OF CONTROLLING THE UNDERLYING SYMPTOMS, AS WELL AS POTENTIALLY REVERSING SOME OF THE LONG LASTING EFFECTS OF THAT PREVIOUSLY UNTREATED SLEEP APNEA. SO MAYBE THE IDEA IS MAYBE GET IN EARLY IF YOU’RE STARTING TO NOTICE SOME OF THOSE, YOU KNOW, MILD SYMPTOMS. WELL, GENERALLY SPEAKING, PREVENTION AND EARLY TREATMENT ARE MUCH EASIER TO TAKE CARE OF THAN KIND OF IGNORING SOMETHING AND LETTING IT GO UNTREATED FOR YEAR

Alzheimer’s risk rises when amount of deep sleep falls, study suggests

Need another reason to prioritize your sleep? Not spending enough time in the two deep stages of sleep — slow-wave and rapid eye movement, or REM, sleep — may hasten the deterioration of parts of the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease, a new study found.Deficits in slow-wave and REM sleep appear to shrink parts of the brain known to be early indicators of cognitive deterioration and Alzheimer's disease, said lead study author Gawon Cho, a postdoctoral associate in internal medicine at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut."We found the volume of a part of the brain called the inferior parietal region shrunk in people with inadequate slow and REM sleep," Cho said. "That part of the brain synthesizes sensory information, including visuospatial information, so it makes sense that it shows neurodegeneration early in the disease."Preventive neurologist Dr. Richard Issacson, who established one of the first Alzheimer's prevention clinics in the United States, said in an email that his clinical experience treating adults at risk for Alzheimer's supports the study's findings."We also found sleep metrics on deeper sleep predicted cognitive function, so between that plus brain volumes, it's real," said Issacson, who is director of research at the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Florida. He was not involved in the study.What happens in the brain during deep sleepDuring deep sleep, the brain sweeps out toxins and dead cells while also repairing and restoring the body for the next day. While we dream during REM sleep, the brain is busy processing emotions, consolidating memories and absorbing new information. It makes sense that getting quality deep and REM sleep is key to our ability to function.Adults need about seven to eight hours of sleep to be healthy, while teens and younger children need much more. However, data shows that more than 1 in 3 American adults don't get enough sleep, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Experts say most adults should spend between 20% and 25% of their night in deep sleep, and the same goes for REM sleep. Older adults require less, while babies need much more — in fact, infants can spend about 50% of their sleep in REM.To make matters worse, deeper stages of sleep decrease as you age, Cho said.Can you get more deep sleep?Deep sleep tends to come soon after we fall asleep, while REM sleep appears later in the night, toward morning. Therefore, if you go to bed late and get up early, you are cutting your chances of spending enough time in one or both stages."The more time you are in bed, the more a person sleeps, and generally speaking, the longer a person sleeps, the more REM and deep sleep they will get," Isaacson said.However, you have to do more than just lay in bed longer — you also need have to have an uninterrupted, restful sleep on a regular basis, experts say. If you do that, there's an additional payoff — a February 2023 study found good sleep habits added nearly five years to a man's life expectancy and almost 2.5 years to a woman's life.To accomplish this, however, you can't wake up during the night or have trouble falling asleep more than two times a week, the study found. You also have to feel well rested at least five days a week when you wake up. And finally, you can't be using sleep medications to achieve your good slumber.But don't lose hope. The good news is that you can easily train your brain to better sleep by following what is called "sleep hygiene." It's important to go to bed at the same time on most nights and get up at the same time most mornings — even on weekends and holidays.Make sure your sleeping environment is optimal — cooler and darker is better — and block noise or try a sound machine. Avoid booze before bed — it may seem like you're falling asleep more easily, but when your liver finishes metabolizing the alcohol at 3 a.m., your body will wake up, experts say.Set up a sleep routine, with no blue lights or distractions at least an hour before bedtime. Try meditation, yoga, tai chi, warm baths — anything that relaxes you is great."How do you make your sleep better? I think people really have to do their part to improve their own sleep," Cho said. "There's no one medicine that improves overall sleep."

CNN —

Deficits in slow-wave and REM sleep appear to shrink parts of the brain known to be early indicators of cognitive deterioration and Alzheimer's disease, said lead study author Gawon Cho, a postdoctoral associate in internal medicine at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.

"We found the volume of a part of the brain called the inferior parietal region shrunk in people with inadequate slow and REM sleep," Cho said. "That part of the brain synthesizes sensory information, including visuospatial information, so it makes sense that it shows neurodegeneration early in the disease."

Preventive neurologist Dr. Richard Issacson, who established one of the first Alzheimer's prevention clinics in the United States, said in an email that his clinical experience treating adults at risk for Alzheimer's supports the study's findings.

"We also found sleep metrics on deeper sleep predicted cognitive function, so between that plus brain volumes, it's real," said Issacson, who is director of research at the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Florida. He was not involved in the study.

What happens in the brain during deep sleep

During deep sleep, the brain sweeps out toxins and dead cells while also repairing and restoring the body for the next day. While we dream during REM sleep, the brain is busy processing emotions, consolidating memories and absorbing new information. It makes sense that getting quality deep and REM sleep is key to our ability to function.

Adults need to be healthy, while teens and younger children need much more. However, data shows that more than 1 in 3 American adults don't get enough sleep, according to the .

Experts say most adults should spend of their night in deep sleep, and the same goes for REM sleep. Older adults require less, while babies need much more — in fact, infants can spend of their sleep in REM.

To make matters worse, deeper stages of sleep decrease as you age, Cho said.

Can you get more deep sleep?

Deep sleep tends to come soon after we fall asleep, while REM sleep appears later in the night, toward morning. Therefore, if you go to bed late and get up early, you are cutting your chances of spending enough time in one or both stages.

"The more time you are in bed, the more a person sleeps, and generally speaking, the longer a person sleeps, the more REM and deep sleep they will get," Isaacson said.

However, you have to do more than just lay in bed longer — you also need have to have an uninterrupted, restful sleep on a regular basis, experts say. If you do that, there's an additional payoff — a February 2023 study found good sleep habits added to a man's life expectancy and almost 2.5 years to a woman's life.

To accomplish this, however, you can't wake up during the night or have trouble falling asleep more than two times a week, the study found. You also have to feel well rested at least five days a week when you wake up. And finally, you can't be using sleep medications to achieve your good slumber.

But don't lose hope. The good news is that you can by following what is called "sleep hygiene." It's important to go to bed at the same time on most nights and get up at the same time most mornings — even on weekends and holidays.

Make sure your sleeping environment is optimal — cooler and darker is better — and block noise or try a sound machine. Avoid booze before bed — it may seem like you're falling asleep more easily, but when your liver finishes metabolizing the alcohol at 3 a.m., your body will wake up, experts say.

Set up a sleep routine, with no blue lights or distractions at least an hour before bedtime. Try meditation, yoga, tai chi, warm baths — anything that relaxes you is great.

"How do you make your sleep better? I think people really have to do their part to improve their own sleep," Cho said. "There's no one medicine that improves overall sleep."

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