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    • Poor sleep in middle age accelerates brain aging by up to three years
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    Poor sleep in middle age accelerates brain aging by up to three years

    Online Niel Posted on

    A recent study published last online in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, suggests that poor sleep in middle age could accelerate brain aging, with effects that can be felt up to a decade later, according to La Opinión . Digital. The research, led by Dr. Kristine Yaffe of the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), indicates that early middle-aged people who have poor sleep quality, including difficulty falling or staying asleep, show more signs of poor brain health at their end. fifty.

    The study involved almost 600 adults with an average age of 40 at the start. Participants completed sleep questionnaires at baseline and again after five years, revealing variations in brain aging based on sleep quality. The researchers focused on various sleep characteristics, including duration, quality, difficulty falling or staying asleep, early awakening, and daytime sleepiness.

    Participants reported their sleep characteristics by questionnaire, answering questions such as: “Do you usually have trouble falling asleep?” and “Do you usually wake up several times during the night?” as reported by the *Gulf Times*. At the start of the study, about 70 percent of the participants reported a single poor sleep characteristic, placing them in the lower group. About 22% were in the medium group with two to three poor sleep characteristics, and 8% were in the high group with more than three sleep problems.

    After 15 years, the participants underwent MRI scans of their brains to determine the biological age of their brains. The researchers used machine learning to assess changes in brain structures over the study period. The findings showed that poor sleep was associated with advanced brain age in midlife. Researchers have found a “dose-response relationship” between sleep quality at age 40 and brain age 15 years later, according to *The Hill*.

    Participants who reported two or three poor sleep characteristics at age 40 had a brain age 1.6 years older than those who reported only one characteristic. Additionally, those who reported more than three poor sleep characteristics showed a brain age 2.6 years older than their counterparts. Dr Kristine Yaffe said: “Our study, which used brain scans to determine the age of the participants’ brains, suggests that poor sleep is associated with an acceleration of brain aging by an average of three years in middle age.”

    “The sleep characteristics most linked to older brain age were poor sleep quality, difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, and difficulty waking up early in the morning,” according to the Gulf Times. This link was particularly strong when individuals had consistently suffered from these sleep problems for at least five years.

    Dr. Clémence Cavaillès said, “Advanced brain aging is associated with cognitive decline and atrophy patterns related to Alzheimer’s,” according to The Hill. She added that the new study “used brain scans to determine the age of the participants’ brains and suggests that poor sleep is linked to nearly three years of additional brain aging by middle age.” “Therefore, poor sleep may be an important target for early interventions aimed at preventing neurocognitive decline, even before amyloid and tau accumulation begins,” said Dr. Cavaillès.

    The researchers stressed that the study only shows associations and cannot prove that poor sleep directly ages the brain, but it does reveal an important correlation. Dr. Kristine Yaffe, MD, of UCSF, said, “Our findings highlight the importance of addressing sleep issues earlier in life to maintain brain health, including maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, exercising, and avoiding caffeine and alcohol before going to bed and using relaxation techniques,” according to La Opinión Digital.

    Techniques such as establishing a consistent sleep schedule, exercising regularly, reducing caffeine and alcohol consumption before bed, and using relaxation techniques can be key to avoiding sleep problems and their long-term negative effects. Experts recommend between seven and nine hours of sleep each night to maintain optimal brain function. The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging.

    In addition, a separate study published in Neurology by researchers at Yale University found that middle-aged adults with uncontrolled risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high blood sugar or cholesterol, and who also , don’t exercise, don’t eat a healthy diet or have trouble sleeping, they have a higher risk of stroke, dementia and depression in the future. Dr. Santiago Clocchiatti-Tuozzo, author of the Yale study, explained: “Our study found that making these healthy lifestyle choices in middle age can have a significant impact on brain health later in life,” according to the Gulf Times.

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    This finding reinforces the idea that taking care of your sleep, along with other healthy habits, may be crucial to preserving cognitive function in old age. The impact of poor sleep habits on brain health remains an active area of ​​study. Future research should focus on finding new ways to improve sleep quality and investigating the long-term impact of sleep on brain health in younger people. This body of research highlights the importance of adopting healthy sleep habits from an early age, including maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, exercising, avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bed, and using relaxation techniques.

    Sources: Gulf Times, La Opinión Digital, The Hill.

    This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq



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